As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q2. Today, we are looking at gas and liquid handling stocks, starting with IDEX (NYSE: IEX).

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 strong Q2. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.3% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 2.7% below.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 8.3% on average since the latest earnings results.

IDEX (NYSE: IEX)

Founded in 1988, IDEX (NYSE: IEX) is a global manufacturer specializing in highly engineered products such as pumps, flow meters, and fluidics systems for various industries.

IDEX reported revenues of $865.4 million, up 7.2% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a mixed quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates but full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

“IDEX teams once again delivered strong execution in the second quarter in what continues to be a challenging operating environment,” said Eric D. Ashleman, IDEX Corporation Chief Executive Officer and President.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 14.3% since reporting and currently trades at $159.

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

Best Q2: Helios (NYSE: HLIO)

Founded on the principle of treating others as one wants to be treated, Helios (NYSE: HLIO) designs, manufactures, and sells motion and electronic control components for various sectors.

Helios reported revenues of $212.5 million, down 3.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 5.5%. The business had a stunning quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ organic revenue estimates and EPS guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

Helios scored the biggest analyst estimates beat and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 42.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $52.50.

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

Weakest Q2: Graco (NYSE: GGG)

Founded in 1926, Graco (NYSE: GGG) is an industrial company specializing in the development and manufacturing of fluid-handling systems and products.

Graco reported revenues of $571.8 million, up 3.4% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 3.1%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income and EPS estimates.

Graco delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 3.6% since the results and currently trades at $84.04.

Read our full analysis of Graco’s results here.

Parker-Hannifin (NYSE: PH)

Founded in 1917, Parker Hannifin (NYSE: PH) is a manufacturer of motion and control systems for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets.

Parker-Hannifin reported revenues of $5.24 billion, up 1.1% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 2.6%. Taking a step back, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ organic revenue estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is up 6.9% since reporting and currently trades at $744.50.

Read our full, actionable report on Parker-Hannifin here, it’s free.

Chart (NYSE: GTLS)

Installing the first bulk Co2 tank for McDonalds’s sodas, Chart (NYSE: GTLS) provides equipment to store and transport gasses.

Chart reported revenues of $1.08 billion, up 4% year on year. This result missed analysts’ expectations by 2.3%. Zooming out, it was actually a strong quarter as it recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ backlog and adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is up 16.5% since reporting and currently trades at $200.08.

Read our full, actionable report on Chart here, it’s free.

Market Update

As a result of the Fed’s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has come down from frothy levels post-pandemic. The general rise in the price of goods and services is trending towards the Fed’s 2% goal as of late, which is good news. The higher rates that fought inflation also didn't slow economic activity enough to catalyze a recession. So far, soft landing. This, combined with recent rate cuts (half a percent in September 2024 and a quarter percent in November 2024) have led to strong stock market performance in 2024. The icing on the cake for 2024 returns was Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. Presidential Election in early November, sending major indices to all-time highs in the week following the election. Still, debates around the health of the economy and the impact of potential tariffs and corporate tax cuts remain, leaving much uncertainty around 2025.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 6 Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.

StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here.