Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at NN (NASDAQ:NNBR) and the best and worst performers in the engineered components and systems industry.

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 satisfactory Q4. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 0.5% below.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 7.9% since the latest earnings results.

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 $106.5 million, down 5.3% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 1.9%, but it was still a strong quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

“We are pleased overall with the results of our first full year of our transformation plan, during which we made immediate and significant progress.” said Harold Bevis, President and Chief Executive Officer of NN,

NN scored the highest full-year guidance raise of the whole group. Investor expectations, however, were likely higher than Wall Street’s published projections, leaving some wishing for even better results (analysts’ consensus estimates are those published by big banks and advisory firms, not the investors who make buy and sell decisions). The stock is down 17.2% since reporting and currently trades at $2.24.

Is now the time to buy NN? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free .

Best Q4: ESCO (NYSE:ESE)

A developer of the communication systems used in the Batmobile of “The Dark Knight,” ESCO (NYSE:ESE) is a provider of engineered components for the aerospace, defense, and utility sectors.

ESCO reported revenues of $247 million, up 13.2% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2.8%. The business had a stunning quarter with EPS guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.