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Here's Why Investors Should Retain Ingersoll Rand (IR) Stock

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Ingersoll Rand Inc. (IR - Free Report) is gaining from its solid product portfolio, innovation capabilities and focus on boosting its aftermarket businesses despite cost inflation, supply-chain constraints and forex woes.

Key Factors Driving IR

Business Strength: Solid demand and higher orders should drive the company’s Industrial Technologies & Services segment. The company continues to see higher orders across its product portfolio of compressors, vacuum and blowers, and power tools and lifting within the Industrial Technologies & Services unit.

For 2023, the company expects segmental revenues to increase 9-11% organically. Pricing actions and acquired assets are driving the Precision & Science Technologies segment’s performance. Acquisitions had a positive impact of 2.5% on the unit’s revenues in the second quarter of 2023. The company anticipates Precision & Science Technologies revenues to climb 5-7% organically in 2023.

Expansion Efforts: Ingersoll Rand has been strengthening its business through acquisitions. In August 2023, the company completed the acquisition of Howden Roots for approximately $300 million. The acquisition expanded IR’s low-pressure compression and vacuum product offerings and added centrifugal compression capabilities. Roots is a part of IR’s Industrial Technologies & Services segment.

In January 2023, the company completed the acquisition of SPX FLOW’s Air Treatment business, which boosted its core compressor product offering through a complementary product portfolio of energy-efficient compressed air dryers, filters and other consumables. The Air Treatment business is a part of IR’s Industrial Technologies and Services segment.

Rewards to Shareholders: The company continues to increase shareholders’ value through dividend payments. In the first six months of 2023, the company paid out dividends of $16.2 million and repurchased shares worth $132.8 million. In 2022, IR returned $294 million to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks.

In light of the above-mentioned positives, we believe, investors should retain IR stock for now, as suggested by its current Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of IR rose 41.1% in a year, outperforming the industry‘s 21.5% increase.

Zacks Investment Research
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Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked companies from the Industrial Products sector are discussed below:

Axon Enterprise, Inc. (AXON - Free Report) currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of approximately 60.2%, on average. In the past 60 days, estimates for Axon’s earnings have increased 13.8% for 2023. The stock has soared 72% in the past year.

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (AIT - Free Report) presently sports a Zacks Rank of 1 and a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15%, on average.

AIT’s earnings estimates have increased 1.6% for fiscal 2024 (ending June 2024) in the past 60 days. Shares of Applied Industrial have risen 44.9% in the past year.

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT - Free Report) presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). CAT’s earnings surprise in the last four quarters was 18.5%, on average.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Caterpillar’s earnings have increased 2.2% for 2023. The stock has gained 50.9% in the past year.

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