Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at SiteOne (NYSE: SITE) and the best and worst performers in the specialty equipment distributors industry.

Historically, specialty equipment distributors have boasted deep selection and expertise in sometimes narrow areas like single-use packaging or unique lighting equipment. Additionally, the industry has evolved to include more automated industrial equipment and machinery over the last decade, driving efficiencies and enabling valuable data collection. Specialty equipment distributors whose offerings keep up with these trends can take share in a still-fragmented market, but like the broader industrials sector, this space is at the whim of economic cycles that impact the capital spending and manufacturing propelling industry volumes.

The 8 specialty equipment distributors stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.8% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 1.3% on average since the latest earnings results.

Weakest Q1: SiteOne (NYSE: SITE)

Known for distributing John Deere tractors and LESCO turf care products, SiteOne Landscape Supply (NYSE: SITE) provides landscaping products and services to professionals, including irrigation, lighting, and nursery supplies.

SiteOne reported revenues of $940.1 million, flat year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 4.2%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and adjusted operating income estimates.

“We are pleased with our first quarter performance as we more than offset the weather and market-related softness in sales volume and delivered Adjusted EBITDA growth with meaningful gross margin improvement and continued tight SG&A management,” said Doug Black, Chairman and CEO of SiteOne.

SiteOne delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 17.8% since reporting and currently trades at $117.57.

Read our full report on SiteOne here, it’s free.

Best Q1: Richardson Electronics (NASDAQ: RELL)

Founded in 1947, Richardson Electronics (NASDAQ: RELL) is a distributor of power grid and microwave tubes as well as consumables related to those products.

Richardson Electronics reported revenues of $55.47 million, up 3.1% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.4%. The business had an incredible quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS and EBITDA estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 44.9% since reporting. It currently trades at $17.04.

Is now the time to buy Richardson Electronics? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Alta (NYSE: ALTG)

Founded in 1984, Alta Equipment Group (NYSE: ALTG) is a provider of industrial and construction equipment and services across the Midwest and Northeast United States.

Alta reported revenues of $410.5 million, down 3% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 3.3%. It was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and adjusted operating income estimates.

Alta delivered the slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 22% since the results and currently trades at $6.39.

Read our full analysis of Alta’s results here.

Custom Truck One Source (NYSE: CTOS)

Inspired by a family gas station, Custom Truck One Source (NYSE: CTOS) is a distributor of trucks and heavy equipment.

Custom Truck One Source reported revenues of $461.6 million, up 9.3% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 1.1%. It was an exceptional quarter as it also produced a beat of analysts’ EPS and EBITDA estimates.

Custom Truck One Source scored the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is up 12% since reporting and currently trades at $9.84.

Read our full, actionable report on Custom Truck One Source here, it’s free.

Karat Packaging (NASDAQ: KRT)

Founded as Lollicup, Karat Packaging (NASDAQ: KRT) distributes and manufactures environmentally-friendly disposable foodservice packaging solutions.

Karat Packaging reported revenues of $116.9 million, up 12.9% year on year. This result surpassed analysts’ expectations by 3.5%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also logged a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The stock is down 11.9% since reporting and currently trades at $26.78.

Read our full, actionable report on Karat Packaging here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.