Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. SWK has been benefiting from its cost-reduction program, which is expected to aid the bottom line and drive margins. The program comprises a series of initiatives to resize the organization, reduce inventory and optimize the supply chain for pursuing sustainable long-term growth.

Since its inception in mid-2022, this program has generated roughly $1.4 billion in pre-tax run-rate savings and reduced inventory by more than $2 billion. SWK expects to generate pre-tax run rate savings of $2 billion by the end of 2025, with an adjusted gross margin of more than 35% in the long term.

Stanley Black has been divesting non-core operations to drive growth. In April 2024, the company divested its STANLEY Infrastructure business to Epiroc AB for a cash consideration of $760 million. The divestment will help the company focus on its core businesses, reduce debt and support capital-allocation priorities.

SWK remains focused on rewarding its shareholders through dividend payments and share buybacks. In the first nine months of 2024, the firm paid dividends of $367.2 million, up 1.8% year over year. Also, in July 2024, SWK hiked its quarterly dividend by a penny to 82 cents per share.

SWK Stock’s Price Performance

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In the past six months, the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company's shares have lost 2.2% compared with the industry’s  9.5% decline.

Amid this, lower consumer outdoor and do-it-yourself market demand remains a concern for the Tools & Outdoor segment. Within the segment, the power tools business has been experiencing weakness due to the slowdown in the industrial sector. Weakening automotive end market, owing to headwinds in the global automotive OEM light vehicle production, is another setback.

Further, the low liquidity level remains a concern. Exiting the third quarter, the company’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $298.7 million, lower than the short-term borrowings of $387.4 million. Its current maturities of long-term debt totaled $500.2 million. This implies that SWK does not have sufficient cash to meet its current debt obligations.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked companies from the same space are discussed below.

Kadant Inc. KAI presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 17.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KAI’s 2024 earnings has improved 1.8% in the past 60 days.

Atmus Filtration Technologies Inc. ATMU presently has a Zacks Rank of 2 and a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 13.8%, on average. The consensus estimate for ATMU’s 2024 earnings has increased 1.3% in the past 60 days.

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation ZWS presently carries a Zacks Rank of 2. ZWS delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Zurn Elkay’s 2024 earnings has increased 2.5% in the past 60 days.

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Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (SWK) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Kadant Inc (KAI) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Cor (ZWS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Atmus Filtration Technologies Inc. (ATMU) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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