In This Article:
Quanex Building Products (NYSE: NX) topped Wall Street expectations for the quarter and raised its full-year outlook, predicting big things from its recently closed acquisition.
Wall Street reacted favorably to the news, sending Quanex shares up 20% as of 10:30 a.m. ET.
Solid quarter, better guidance
Quanex manufactures a wide range of building materials, including windows, doors, vinyl fencing, refrigeration, and cabinetry. Last month, the company closed a $1.1 billion acquisition of Tyman in the U.K. to increase its geographic diversification and add expertise in new product lines.
The company's last full quarter ahead of the deal was a strong one. Quanex earned $0.73 per share in its fiscal third quarter (ending July 31) on revenue of $280.4 million, surpassing Wall Street's consensus estimate of $0.70 per share on $278 million.
For the full fiscal year, Quanex now expects to generate $1.28 billion to $1.29 billion in revenue and $171 million to $176 million in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). Previously, the company had guided for revenue of $1.1 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $145 million to $150 million.
Is Quanex a buy?
Revenue was down 6% year over year, a reflection of soft demand from end markets like housing that have been hit by higher rates. But CEO George Wilson sees big things up ahead.
"Demand remained soft, but we believe the building products industry will benefit from pent-up demand once interest rates start to trend lower and consumer confidence is restored," Wilson said. "Looking ahead, work on integrating the recently acquired Tyman business and creating something new and special within the building products industry is in progress."
Even with Friday's gains, Quanex shares are still 25% below where they were earlier this year. If Wilson is correct and demand spikes from here, Quanex shares could still have plenty of room to run.
Should you invest $1,000 in Quanex Building Products right now?
Before you buy stock in Quanex Building Products, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Quanex Building Products wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $656,938!*
Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.