Many companies beat Wall Street analysts' estimates in an accelerating economy, but fewer can do so in a slowing economy. However, the ones that do signal that they have excellent underlying long-term growth prospects. As such, I think industrial software company PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) , electrical products company nVent Electric (NYSE: NVT) , and advanced materials company Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) -- all of which recently outperformed analysts' expectations -- are great stocks to buy now.
PTC is a play on the digital transformation of the industrial sector. Its software helps companies digitally create products (computer-aided design), manage them (product lifecycle management) from inception to physical creation and ultimately disposal, including servicing (service lifecycle management), while digitally connecting them (Internet of Things), and optimizing their performance (augmented reality).
It's a red-hot industry that offers significant benefits to industrial companies, and that's why its growth is likely to hold up relatively well even in a broad economic slowdown.
For further details see:
3 Hot Growth Stocks That Recently Beat Wall Street's Expectations