As the Q3 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the engineered components and systems industry, including Timken (NYSE:TKR) and its peers.
Engineered components and systems companies possess technical know-how in sometimes narrow areas such as metal forming or intelligent robotics. Lately, automation and connected equipment collecting analyzable data have been trending, creating new demand. On the other hand, like the broader industrials sector, engineered components and systems companies are at the whim of economic cycles. Consumer spending and interest rates, for example, can greatly impact the industrial production that drives demand for these companies’ offerings.
The 13 engineered components and systems stocks we track reported a slower Q3. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 1% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 1.9% below.
In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.
Timken (NYSE:TKR)
Established after the founder noticed the difficulty freight wagons had making sharp turns, Timken (NYSE:TKR) is a provider of industrial parts used across various sectors.
Timken reported revenues of $1.13 billion, down 1.4% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 0.8%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a softer quarter for the company with full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations.
"It is an honor to be part of the talented Timken team as we work to accelerate profitable growth and customer-centric innovation," said Tarak Mehta, president and chief executive officer.
Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 14.2% since reporting and currently trades at $71.54.
Read our full report on Timken here, it’s free.
Best Q3: Graham Corporation (NYSE:GHM)
Founded when its founder patented a unique design for a vacuum system used in the sugar refining process, Graham (NYSE:GHM) provides vacuum and heat transfer equipment for the energy, petrochemical, refining, and chemical sectors.
Graham Corporation reported revenues of $53.56 million, up 18.8% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 7.8%. The business had an exceptional quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
Graham Corporation delivered the biggest analyst estimates beat, fastest revenue growth, and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 50.3% since reporting. It currently trades at $50.
Is now the time to buy Graham Corporation? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q3: Mayville Engineering (NYSE:MEC)
Originally founded solely on tool and die manufacturing, Mayville Engineering Company (NYSE:MEC) specializes in metal fabrication, tube bending, and welding to be used in various industries.
Mayville Engineering reported revenues of $135.4 million, down 14.4% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 14.1%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a miss of analysts’ Commercial Vehicle revenue estimates and full-year revenue guidance missing analysts’ expectations.
Mayville Engineering delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and weakest full-year guidance update in the group. As expected, the stock is down 28.9% since the results and currently trades at $15.47.
Read our full analysis of Mayville Engineering’s results here.
NN (NASDAQ:NNBR)
Formerly known as Nuturn, NN (NASDAQ:NNBR) provides metal components, bearings, and plastic and rubber components to the automotive, aerospace, medical, and industrial sectors.
NN reported revenues of $113.6 million, down 8.7% year on year. This result lagged analysts' expectations by 5.7%. It was a softer quarter as it also logged a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates.
The stock is down 15.3% since reporting and currently trades at $3.33.
Read our full, actionable report on NN here, it’s free.
Applied Industrial (NYSE:AIT)
Formerly called The Ohio Ball Bearing Company, Applied Industrial (NYSE:AIT) distributes industrial products–everything from power tools to industrial valves–and services to a wide variety of industries.
Applied Industrial reported revenues of $1.10 billion, flat year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. Taking a step back, it was a mixed quarter as it also recorded a narrow beat of analysts’ organic revenue estimates but a miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
The stock is up 9% since reporting and currently trades at $244.
Read our full, actionable report on Applied Industrial here, it’s free.
Market Update
Thanks to the Fed's series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market has thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% each in November and December), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump's presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by the pace and magnitude of future rate cuts as well as potential changes in trade policy and corporate taxes once the Trump administration takes over. The path forward is marked by uncertainty.
Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Quality Compounder Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.
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