Reflecting On Gas and Liquid Handling Stocks’ Q4 Earnings: Standex (NYSE:SXI)

Reflecting On Gas and Liquid Handling Stocks’ Q4 Earnings: Standex (NYSE:SXI)

The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Standex (NYSE:SXI) and the rest of the gas and liquid handling stocks fared in Q4.

Gas and liquid handling companies possess the technical know-how and specialized equipment to handle valuable (and sometimes dangerous) substances. Lately, water conservation and carbon capture–which requires hydrogen and other gasses as well as specialized infrastructure–have been trending up, creating new demand for products such as filters, pumps, and valves. On the other hand, gas and liquid handling 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 12 gas and liquid handling stocks we track reported a slower Q4. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 1%.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 11% since the latest earnings results.

Standex (NYSE:SXI)

Holding over 500 patents globally, Standex (NYSE:SXI) is a manufacturer and distributor of industrial components for various sectors.

Standex reported revenues of $189.8 million, up 6.4% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. Overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Commenting on the quarter's results, President and Chief Executive Officer David Dunbar said, "Following solid operational performance in the fiscal first quarter, we delivered the highest sales since the divestment of the Refrigeration business in April 2020 and record adjusted operating margin in the fiscal second quarter. These improvements reflected solid operational performance from core businesses and contribution from the recent Amran/Narayan acquisition. Completed in the quarter, this was the largest acquisition in the history of the Company and its sales exceeded our expectations. The continued strength of the electrical grid end market positions us well for continued growth and margin improvement in the second half of fiscal 2025. In the fiscal second quarter, we achieved adjusted gross margin of approximately 40.9% and adjusted operating margin of 18.7%, while continuing to support our growth initiatives."

Reflecting On Gas and Liquid Handling Stocks’ Q4 Earnings: Standex (NYSE:SXI)

The stock is down 6.7% since reporting and currently trades at $173.92.

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