The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who not so much). Let’s take a look at how maintenance and repair distributors stocks fared in Q3, starting with WESCO (NYSE: WCC).

Supply chain and inventory management are themes that grew in focus after COVID wreaked havoc on the global movement of raw materials and components. Maintenance and repair distributors that boast reliable selection and quickly deliver products to customers can benefit from this theme. While e-commerce hasn’t disrupted industrial distribution as much as consumer retail, it is still a real threat, forcing investment in omnichannel capabilities to serve customers everywhere. Additionally, maintenance and repair distributors are at the whim of economic cycles that impact the capital spending and construction projects that can juice demand.

The 9 maintenance and repair distributors stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2%.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 10% since the latest earnings results.

WESCO (NYSE: WCC)

Based in Pittsburgh, WESCO (NYSE: WCC) provides electrical, industrial, and communications products and augments them with services such as supply chain management.

WESCO reported revenues of $6.20 billion, up 12.9% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 4.9%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ organic revenue estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

"We delivered very strong results in the third quarter and again outperformed the market with our leading portfolio of products, services, and solutions. Sales growth accelerated this year, with organic sales up 6% in the first quarter, 7% in the second quarter, and 12% in the third quarter." said John Engel, Chairman, President, and CEO.

WESCO pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is up 12.4% since reporting and currently trades at $256.69.

Is now the time to buy WESCO? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Best Q3: VSE Corporation (NASDAQ: VSEC)

With roots dating back to 1959 and a strategic focus on extending the life of transportation assets, VSE Corporation (NASDAQ: VSEC) provides aftermarket parts distribution and maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for aircraft and vehicle fleets in commercial and government markets.

VSE Corporation reported revenues of $282.9 million, up 3.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2.3%. The business had a stunning quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 4.6% since reporting. It currently trades at $171.31.

Is now the time to buy VSE Corporation? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Weakest Q3: Global Industrial (NYSE: GIC)

Formerly known as Systemax, Global Industrial (NYSE: GIC) distributes industrial and commercial products to businesses and institutions.

Global Industrial reported revenues of $353.6 million, up 3.3% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates.

Global Industrial delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 22.8% since the results and currently trades at $27.11.

Read our full analysis of Global Industrial’s results here.

Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST)

Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally.

Fastenal reported revenues of $2.13 billion, up 11.7% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations. However, it was a slower quarter as it produced EPS in line with analysts’ estimates and a miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The stock is down 11% since reporting and currently trades at $40.75.

Read our full, actionable report on Fastenal here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Transcat (NASDAQ: TRNS)

Serving the pharmaceutical, industrial manufacturing, energy, and chemical process industries, Transcat (NASDAQ: TRNS) provides measurement instruments and supplies.

Transcat reported revenues of $82.27 million, up 21.3% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 3.5%. More broadly, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Transcat delivered the fastest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is down 23.1% since reporting and currently trades at $54.32.

Read our full, actionable report on Transcat here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump’s presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape.

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