Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, fluid handling solutions specialist Graco (NYSE: GGG ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Graco and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Graco facts
Headquarters (founded)
Minneapolis, Minn. (1926)
Market Cap
$3.3 billion
Industry
Industrial machinery
Trailing-12-Month Revenue
$1.0 billion
Mueller Water Products, Inc., incorporated on September 22, 2005, is a manufacturer and marketer of products and services used in the transmission, distribution and measurement of water. The Company�� product portfolio includes engineered valves, fire hydrants, pipe fittings, water meters, leak detection and pipe condition assessment which are used by municipalities, as well as the residential and non-residential construction industries. The Company operates in two segments: Mueller Co. and Anvil. Mueller Co. The Company�� valve or fire hydrant products are specified for use in the 100 metropolitan areas in the United States.
Mueller Co.
Mueller Co. manufactures valves for water and gas systems, including iron gate, butterfly, tapping, check, plug and ball valves, as well as dry-barrel and wet-barrel fire hydrants and a of pipe repair products, such as clamps and couplings used to repair leaks. The Company offers residential and commercial metering products and systems and leak detection and pipe condition assessment products and services. Mueller Co. products are sold through waterworks distributors.
The Company�� fire hydrants consist of an upper barrel and nozzle section and a lower barrel and valve section that connects to a water main. In dry-barrel hydrants, the valve connecting the barrel of the hydrant to the water main is located below ground at or below the frost line, which keeps the hydrant upper barrel dry. It sells dry-barrel fire hydrants with the Mueller and U.S. Pipe Valve and Hydrant brand names in the United States and the Mueller and Canada Valve brand names in Canada. The Company also makes wet-barrel hydrants, where the valves are located in the hydrant nozzles and the barrel contains water at all times. It also makes wet-barrel hydrants, where the valves are located in the hydrant nozzles and the barrel contains water at all times.
Mueller Co. manufactures a variety of intelligent water technology products under the Mue! ller Systems and Hersey Meters brand names that are designed to help water providers accurately measure water usage. These products include water meters, advanced metering infrastructure systems and automated meter reading products, have the capability to measure water usage ranging from small residential flows to large commercial and industrial applications.
Mueller Co. offers leak detection and pipe condition assessment products and services under the Echologics brand name. Other products include pipe repair products, such as clamps and couplings used to repair leaks and municipal castings, such as manhole covers and street drain grates. It sells these products under the Mueller and Jones brand names.
The Company competes with McWane, Inc., American Cast Iron Pipe Company, The Ford Meter Box Company, Inc., A.Y. McDonald Mfg, Sensus, Neptune Technology Group, Inc., Badger Meter, Inc., Aclara LLC and Itron, Inc.
Anvil
Anvil manufactures and sources a range of products, includes fittings, couplings, hangers, valves and related products for use in many non-residential constructions for HVAC, fire protection, energy and oil and gas applications. Anvil's products are sold through distributors who then sell the products to a variety of end users. These distributors are serviced primarily through Anvil's distribution centers.
Fittings and Couplings manufactures threaded and grooved pipe fittings and couplings. Pipe fittings and couplings join two pieces of pipe together. The five categories of pipe fittings and couplings are cast iron fittings, malleable iron fittings and unions, grooved fittings, couplings and valves, threaded steel pipe coupling and nipples. Hangers, manufacture an array of pipe hangers and supports. Standard pipe hangers and supports are used in fire protection sprinkler systems and HVAC applications where the objective is to provide rigid support from the building structure.
The Company competes with Ward Man! ufacturin! g L.L.C., malleable iron fittings, Victaulic Company, Tyco International Ltd., ERICO International Corporation, Cooper Industries plc and Carpenter & Paterson, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Travis Hoium]
What: Shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE: MWA ) jumped as much as 17% today after the company released earnings.
So what: Fiscal-second-quarter revenue jumped 12.6% to $283.1 million and net income was $6.2 million, or $0.05 per share. Analysts only expected revenue to be $270.8 million and earnings of $0.02 per share so this was well ahead of estimates. �
Hot Machinery Companies To Own In Right Now: Actuant Corp (ATU)
Actuant Corporation, incorporated on October 26, 1910, is a global diversified company that designs, manufactures and distributes a range of industrial products and systems to various end markets. The Company operates four business segments: Industrial, Energy, Electrical and Engineered Solutions. The Industrial segment is primarily involved in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded hydraulic and mechanical tools to the maintenance, industrial, infrastructure and production automation markets. The Energy segment provides joint integrity products and services, as well as rope and cable solutions to the global oil and gas, power generation and other energy markets. The Electrical segment is primarily involved in the design, manufacture and distribution of a range of electrical products to the retail DIY, wholesale, original equipment manufacturer (OEM), solar, utility, marine and other harsh environment markets. The Engineered Solutions segment provides engineered position and motion control systems to OEMs in various on and off-highway vehicle markets, as well as, a range of other products to the industrial and agricultural markets. In August 2013, the Company announced the completion of its acquisition of Viking SeaTech (Viking).
Industrial
The Industrial segment is a global supplier of branded hydraulic and mechanical tools to a broad array of end markets, including general maintenance and repair, industrial, infrastructure and production automation. The Company's primary products include hydraulic tools, engineered heavy lifting solutions, workholding (production automation) solutions and concrete stressing products. These hydraulic and mechanical tools are marketed primarily through the Company's Enerpac, Simplex, Precision Sure-Lock and Milwaukee Cylinder brand names. The high-force hydraulic and mechanical tools, including cylinders, pumps, valves, specialty tools and presses.
The Company's hydraulic tools operate at high pressures of approxim! ately 5,000 to 12,000 pounds per square inch and are generally sold by a diverse group of industrial and specialty fluid power distributors to customers in the infrastructure, mining, steel mill, cement, rail, oil and gas and general maintenance industries. Key industrial distributors include W.W. Grainger, Applied Industrial Technologies and MSC. In addition to providing a line of industrial tools, the segment also provides hydraulic systems (integrated solutions) to meet customer specific requirements for safe and precise control of movement and positioning. These customized heavy lifting solutions, which combine hydraulics, steel fabrication and electronic controls with engineering and application knowledge, are typically utilized in major infrastructure projects (bridges, stadiums, tunnels and offshore platforms) for heavy lifting, launching & skidding or synchronous lifting applications.
The Industrial segment has leveraged production and engineering capabilities to also offer a range of workholding products (work supports, swing cylinders and system components) that are marketed through distributors to the automotive, machine tool and fixture design markets. In addition, the segment designs, manufactures and distributes concrete pre- and post-tensioning products (chucks and wedges, stressing jacks and anchors) which are used by concrete tensioning system designers, fabricators and installers for the residential and commercial construction, railroad, bridge, infrastructure and mining markets.
Energy
The Energy segment provides technical products and services to the global energy markets, where safety, security, reliability and productivity are key value drivers. Products include joint integrity tools and connectors for oil & gas and power generation installations, as well as rope and cable solutions. In addition to these products, the Energy segment also provides manpower services, including machining, engineering and maintenance activities. The products and ! services ! of the Energy segment are distributed and marketed under various brand names (principally Hydratight, D.L. Ricci, Morgrip, Cortland, FibronBX, Puget Sound Rope, Biach, Selantic and Jeyco) to OEMs, maintenance and service organizations and energy producers in emerging and developed countries.
Joint integrity products include hydraulic torque wrenches, bolt tensioners and portable machining equipment. These products are used in the maintenance of bolted joints on oil rigs and platforms, wind turbines, refineries and pipelines, petrochemical installations, as well as fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. The Energy segment also provides rope and cable solutions that maximize performance, safety and efficiency for customers in various markets, including oil and gas, heavy marine, subsea, ROV and seismic. With its global design and manufacturing capabilities the Cortland business is able to provide customized synthetic ropes, heavy lift slings, specialized mooring, rigging and towing systems, electro-optical-mechanical cables and umbilicals to customers, including firms, such as CGG Veritas, Expro and Sercel. These products are utilized in critical applications, often deployed in harsh operating conditions (sub-sea oil & gas production, maintenance and exploration) and are required to meet robust safety standards. In addition custom designed products are also sold into a range of other niche markets including medical, security, aerospace and defense.
Electrical
The Electrical segment is involved in the design, manufacture and distribution of a broad range of electrical products to the retail DIY, OEM, electrical distribution, power transformation and harsh environment electrical markets. The Electrical segment sells its products through a combination of distributors, direct sales personnel and manufacturers' representatives. The Electrical segment provides the retail DIY market with a range of electrical tools and consumables, such as wire strippers, electrical meters,! connecto! rs, terminals, cable ties, staples and other wire management products and conduit bending equipment under the Gardner Bender, Del City and A.W. Sperry brands. These products are sold to retailers, such as Lowe's, The Home Depot, Menards, True Value and Ace Hardware, as well as numerous electrical distributors and OEM's.
The Electrical segment sells power transformation products in North America, including low voltage, single-phase dry type transformers and custom toroidal transformers under the Acme Electric brand name and high voltage switches under the Turner Electric brand name. These transformers are sold through electrical wholesale distributors, as well as directly to OEMs, such as Rockwell Automation, Eaton, Yaskawa and General Electric. Product offerings also include electrical components and systems for the harsh environment and marine markets under the Ancor, Marinco, Guest, Mastervolt and B.E.P Marine brand names. These products are primarily sold to various customers in the industrial, marine, power generation, industrial and retail markets, including West Marine, Applied Materials and Kohler. Solar products (primarily high efficiency solar inverters for residential and small commercial applications) are sold through local distributors and installers.
Engineered Solutions
The Engineered Solutions segment is a global designer and assembler of customized position and motion control systems and other industrial products to various transportation and other niche markets. This segment focuses on providing technical and engineered products, including actuation systems, mechanical power transmission products, engine air flow management solutions and rugged electronic instrumentation. Products in the Engineered Solutions segment are primarily marketed directly to OEMs through a technical sales organization. Approximately 55% of this segment's revenue comes from the vehicle systems product line (Power-Packer, Gits and Power Gear brands), which is sold to the t! ruck, aut! omotive, off-highway and specialty vehicle markets. Products include hydraulic cab-tilt and latching systems, which are sold to global heavy duty truck OEMs, such as Volvo, Iveco, Scania, Paccar-DAF and CNHTC and electro-hydraulic convertible top latching and actuation systems. The automotive convertible top actuation systems are utilized on both retractable soft and hard top vehicles manufactured by OEMs, such as Daimler, Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot, BMW, Volvo and Nissan.
The Company's diesel engine air flow solutions, such as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems, are used by diesel engine and turbocharger manufacturers to reduce emissions, improve fuel efficiency and horsepower. Primary end markets include heavy duty truck and off-highway equipment serving customers, such as Caterpillar, Cummins, Honeywell and Borg Warner. It also sells actuation systems to various specialty vehicle OEMs (principally in the defense, recreational vehicle and off-highway markets), such as Oshkosh and Fleetwood.
The Maxima Technologies tuck-in acquisitions of Turotest Medidores Ltda and CrossControl AB, along with the fiscal 2011 acquisition of Weasler Engineering have further diversified the geographic presence, technologies and end markets of the Engineered Solutions segment. The range of products, technologies and engineered solutions of Weasler Engineering, Maxima Technologies, Elliott Manufacturing, Sanlo and Nielsen Sessions comprise the other product line within the segment. Products include severe-duty electronic instrumentation (including displays and clusters, machine controls and sensors), power transmission products (engineered power transmission components, including drive shafts, torque limiters, gearboxes, torsional dampers and flexible shafts), and a comprehensive line of case, container and industrial hardware. These products are sold to a range of niche markets, including agricultural implement, lawn & turf, construction, forestry, industrial, aerospace, material handling! and secu! rity.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Laura Brodbeck]
Wednesday
Earnings Expected: Actuant Corporation (NYSE: ATU), FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX), Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE: JBL) Economic Releases Expected: New Zealand’s GDP, US current account Thursday
- [By Sally Jones]
Actuant Corporation (ATU): Reduced
Up 24% over 12 months, Actuant Corp has a market cap of $2.6 billion; its shares were traded at around $35.61 with a P/E ratio of 1,483.70 and a P/B of 2.50. The dividend yield of ATU is 0.11%.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Analysts expect Actuant (NYSE: ATU) to report its Q3 earnings at $0.63 per share on revenue of $376.57 million. Actuant shares gained 0.83% to close at $36.30 yesterday.
Hot Machinery Companies To Own In Right Now: Badger Meter Inc (BMI)
Badger Meter, Inc., incorporated on March 9, 1905, is a manufacturer and marketer of products incorporating flow measurement and control technologies serving markets globally. The Company's product lines fall into three categories: sales of water meters and related technologies to municipal water utilities (municipal water), sales of meters to various industries for water and other fluids (industrial flow) and sales of concrete vibrators and gas meter radios to markets (specialty products). Municipal water includes water meters and related technologies and services used by water utilities as the basis for generating water and wastewater revenues. Industrial flow includes products sold globally to measure and control materials flowing through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, oil, and other liquids and gases. Specialty products include sales of radio technology to natural gas utilities for installation on their gas meters, and concrete vibrators.
The Company's products are primarily manufactured and assembled in the Company's Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Racine, Wisconsin; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Scottsdale, Arizona; Nogales, Mexico; Neuffen, Germany; Brno, Czech Republic; and Bern, Switzerland facilities. For municipal water, residential and commercial water meters are classified as either manually read meters or remotely read meters through radio technology. A manually read meter consists of a water meter and a register that gives a visual meter reading display. Meters equipped with radio transmitters (endpoints) use encoder registers to convert the measurement data from the meter into an encrypted digital format which is then transmitted through radio frequency to a receiver that collects and formats the data appropriately for water utility billing systems. In an AMR system, a vehicle equipped for meter reading purposes, including a radio receiver, computer and reading software, collects the data from the utility's meters.
Fixed network advanced metering infrastructure (AM! I) systems continue to build interest among water utilities. These systems incorporate a network of permanent data collectors or gateway receivers that are always active or listening for the radio transmission from the utilities' meters. AMI systems eliminate the need for utility personnel to drive through service territories to collect meter reading data. These systems provide the utilities with more frequent and diverse data from the utilities' meters at specified intervals.
The Company�� advanced metering analytics (AMA), along with a host of automated utility management tools to facilitate the ability of water and gas utilities to increase their productivity and revenue, as well as proactively utilize their data. AMA is consists of ReadCenter Analytics software coupled with ORION SE two-way fixed network or GALAXY one-way fixed network technology, which is complemented by a family of accurate and reliable water meters. The ORION SE system can operate as a mobile AMR system, a fixed network AMI system, or both. Industrial flow and specialty products serve flow measurement and control applications across an industrial spectrum. Specialized communication protocols that control the entire flow measurement process drive these markets.
The Company competes with Sensus USA Inc., Neptune Technology Group, Inc., Elster AMCO Metering, LLC and Master Meter, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion: Hot Machinery Companies To Own In Right Now: Stanley Black & Decker Inc (SWJ)
Stanley Black & Decker Inc., June 4, 1901, is a diversified global provider of power and hand tools, mechanical access solutions (automatic doors, commercial and residential locking systems), electronic security and monitoring systems and products and services for various industrial applications. The Company�� operations are classified into three business segments: Construction & Do-It-Yourself (CDIY), Security, and Industrial. In September 2011, Stanley Black & Decker acquired Niscayah Group AB. In September 2011, the Company acquired Microtec Enterprises, Inc. In January 2011, the Company acquired InfoLogix, Inc. In December 2012, Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc acquired Hardware & Home Improvement Group (HHI) of the Company. In February 2013, the Company completed its acquisition of Infastech.
CDIY
The CDIY segment consists of the professional power tool and accessories business, the consumer power tool business, which includes outdoor products, plumbing (Pfister) and the hand tools, fasteners and storage business. The segment sells its products to professional end users, distributors and retail consumers. The majority of sales are distributed through retailers, including home centers, mass merchants, hardware stores, and retail lumber yards. During the year ended December 31, 2011, annual revenues in the CDIY segment represented 50% of the Company�� total revenues. The professional power tool and accessories business sells professional grade corded and cordless electric power tools and equipment, including drills, impact wrenches and drivers, grinders, saws, routers and sanders. The business also sells power tool accessories, which include drill bits, router bits, abrasives and saw blades.
The consumer power tool business sells corded and cordless power tools sold under the Black & Decker brand, lawn and garden products and home products. Lawn and garden products include hedge trimmers, string trimmers, lawn mowers, edgers and related accessories. Home pro! ducts include hand held vacuums, paint tools and cleaning appliances. The hand tools, fasteners and storage business sells measuring and leveling tools, planes, hammers, demolition tools, knives, saws and chisels. Fastening products include pneumatic tools and fasteners including nail guns, nails, staplers and staples. Storage products include tool boxes, sawhorses and storage units.
Security
The Security segment consists of the electronic security solutions and the mechanical access solutions businesses. Annual revenues in the Security segment represented 26% of the Company�� total revenues in 2011. The electronic security solutions business designs, supplies and installs electronic security systems and provides electronic security services, including alarm monitoring, video surveillance, fire alarm monitoring, systems integration and system maintenance. Purchasers of these systems typically contract for ongoing security systems monitoring and maintenance at the time of initial equipment installation. The electronic security business also sells healthcare solutions, which includes medical carts and cabinets, asset tracking solutions, infant protection, pediatric protection, patient protection, wander management, fall management, and emergency call products.
The electronic security solutions business sells to consumers, retailers, educational, financial and healthcare institutions, as well as commercial, governmental and industrial customers. Products are sold predominantly on a direct sales basis. The mechanical access solutions business sells and installs automatic doors, residential and commercial hardware, locking mechanisms, electronic keyless entry systems, keying systems, tubular and mortise door locksets. The mechanical access solutions business sells to both residential and commercial customers, with distribution through direct sales, through retailers (including home centers) and, through third party distributors.
Industrial
!
The In! dustrial segment consists of the industrial and automotive repair tools, engineered fastening and infrastructure businesses. Annual revenues in the Industrial segment represented 24% of the Company�� total revenues. The industrial and automotive repair business sells hand tools, power tools, and engineered storage solution products. The business sells to industrial customers in a variety of industries and geographies. The products are distributed through third party distributors, as well as a direct sales force. The engineered fastening business primarily sells engineered fasteners designed for specific applications. The product lines include stud welding systems, blind rivets and tools, blind inserts and tools, drawn arc weld studs, engineered plastic fasteners, self-piercing riveting systems and precision nut running systems.
The business sells to customers in the automotive, manufacturing, and aerospace industries, amongst others, and the Company's products are distributed through direct sales forces. The infrastructure business consists of the CRC-Evans business, and the Company�� hydraulics business. The business�� product lines include custom pipe handling machinery, joint welding and coating machinery, weld inspection services and hydraulic tools and accessories. The business sells to the oil and natural gas pipeline industry and other industrial customers. The products and services are primarily distributed through a direct sales force.
Advisors' Opinion:
