Even if they go mostly unnoticed, industrial businesses are the backbone of our country. Still, their generally high capital requirements expose them to the ups and downs of economic cycles, and the market seems to be baking in a prolonged downturn as the industry has shed 6.1% over the past six months. This performance was disappointing since the S&P 500 stood firm.
Small-cap stocks can be incredibly lucrative investments because their lack of analyst coverage leads to frequent mispricings. However, these businesses (and their stock prices) often stay small because their subscale operations make it harder to expand their competitive moats.
Many small-cap stocks have limited Wall Street coverage, giving savvy investors the chance to act before everyone else catches on. But the flip side is that these businesses have increased downside risk because they lack the scale and staying power of their larger competitors.
Consumer staples stocks are solid insurance policies in frothy markets ripe for corrections. Surprisingly, the sector hasn’t played its shielding role over the past six months as it tumbled 11.6%. This drawdown was especially disheartening since the S&P 500 held steady.
Business services providers play a critical role for enterprises, assisting them with everything from new hardware integrations to consulting and marketing. But cutbacks in corporate spending and the threat of new AI products have kept sentiment in check, and over the past six months, the industry has tumbled by 1.1%. This performance was disheartening since the S&P 500 held steady.
Business services providers thrive by solving complex operational challenges for their clients, allowing them to focus on their secret sauce. But cutbacks in corporate spending and the threat of new AI products have kept sentiment in check, and over the past six months, the industry has tumbled by 1.1%. This drawdown was disheartening since the S&P 500 held steady.
Uniform and facility services provider Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) met Wall Street’s revenue expectations in Q1 CY2025, with sales up 8.4% year on year to $2.61 billion. The company’s outlook for the full year was close to analysts’ estimates with revenue guided to $10.29 billion at the midpoint. Its GAAP profit of $1.13 per share was 7.1% above analysts’ consensus estimates.
Payroll and human resources software provider, Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) met Wall Street’s revenue expectations in Q1 CY2025, with sales up 4.8% year on year to $1.51 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $1.49 per share was 0.7% above analysts’ consensus estimates.
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said if long-term inflation expectations are raised by the market, this could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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