As the Q3 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the electronic components industry, including Bel Fuse (NASDAQ: BELFA) and its peers.

Like many equipment and component manufacturers, electronic components companies are buoyed by secular trends such as connectivity and industrial automation. More specific pockets of strong demand include data centers and telecommunications, which can benefit companies whose optical and transceiver offerings fit those markets. But like the broader industrials sector, these companies are also at the whim of economic cycles. Consumer spending, for example, can greatly impact these companies’ volumes.

The 10 electronic components stocks we track reported a very strong Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 4.2% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Luckily, electronic components stocks have performed well with share prices up 19.2% on average since the latest earnings results.

Bel Fuse (NASDAQ: BELFA)

Founded by 26-year-old Elliot Bernstein during the electronics boom after WW2, Bel Fuse (NASDAQ: BELF.A) provides electronic systems and devices to the telecommunications, networking, transportation, and industrial sectors.

Bel Fuse reported revenues of $179 million, up 44.8% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 3.7%. Overall, it was an incredible quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS and EBITDA estimates.

"Bel delivered a strong third quarter, with sales and gross margin percentage at the high end of our guidance," said Farouq Tuweiq, President and CEO.

Bel Fuse achieved the fastest revenue growth of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is up 21% since reporting and currently trades at $164.10.

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

Best Q3: nLIGHT (NASDAQ: LASR)

Founded by a former CEO and Harvard-educated entrepreneur Scott Keeneyn, nLIGHT (NASDAQ: LASR) offers semiconductor and fiber lasers to the industrial, aerospace & defense, and medical sectors.

nLIGHT reported revenues of $66.74 million, up 18.9% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 5.4%. The business had an incredible quarter with EBITDA guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 27.3% since reporting. It currently trades at $37.94.

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

Weakest Q3: Novanta (NASDAQ: NOVT)

Originally a pioneer in the laser scanning industry during the late 1960s, Novanta (NASDAQ: NOVT) offers medicine and manufacturing technology to the medical, life sciences, and manufacturing industries.

Novanta reported revenues of $247.8 million, up 1.4% year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 0.8%. Still, it was a slower quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Novanta delivered the slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 7.9% since the results and currently trades at $125.08.

Read our full analysis of Novanta’s results here.

Corning (NYSE: GLW)

Supplying windows for some of the United States’s earliest spacecraft, Corning (NYSE: GLW) provides glass and other electronic components for the consumer electronics, telecommunications, automotive, and healthcare industries.

Corning reported revenues of $4.27 billion, up 14.4% year on year. This result met analysts’ expectations. Taking a step back, it was a mixed quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts’ Display Technologies revenue estimates but a miss of analysts’ Optical Communications revenue estimates.

Corning had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $89.43.

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

Vishay Precision (NYSE: VPG)

Emerging from Vishay Intertechnology in 2010, Vishay Precision (NYSE: VPG) operates as a global provider of precision measurement and sensing technologies.

Vishay Precision reported revenues of $79.73 million, up 5.3% year on year. This number beat analysts’ expectations by 4%. It was an exceptional quarter as it also produced a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The stock is up 8.6% since reporting and currently trades at $41.31.

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

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