As the Q1 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the industrial & environmental services industry, including CECO Environmental (NASDAQ: CECO) and its peers.

Growing regulatory pressure on environmental compliance and increasing corporate ESG commitments should buoy the sector for years to come. On the other hand, environmental regulations continue to evolve, and this may require costly upgrades, volatility in commodity waste and recycling markets, and labor shortages in industrial services. As for digitization, a theme that is impacting nearly every industry, the increasing use of data, analytics, and automation will give rise to improved efficiency of operations. Conversely, though, the benefits of digitization also come with challenges of integrating new technologies into legacy systems.

The 8 industrial & environmental services stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.9% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Luckily, industrial & environmental services stocks have performed well with share prices up 12% on average since the latest earnings results.

Best Q1: CECO Environmental (NASDAQ: CECO)

With roots dating back to 1869 and a focus on creating cleaner industrial operations, CECO Environmental (NASDAQ: CECO) provides technology and expertise that helps industrial companies reduce emissions, treat water, and improve energy efficiency across various sectors.

CECO Environmental reported revenues of $205.9 million, up 16.5% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 4.1%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS and revenue estimates.

Todd Gleason, CECO's Chief Executive Officer commented, “I am pleased to highlight the tremendous topline growth and steady EBITDA margin expansion we continue to deliver at CECO. This is the first time our quarter-end backlog has eclipsed $1 billion, which reflects our incredible 2.2 book-to-bill ratio during the first quarter. We continue to secure strategic, large-scale projects to enable natural gas power generation expansion in support of a tremendous global investment in electrical power demand for data centers, artificial intelligence computing, industrial reshoring and electrification. This strong momentum continued into April 2026 as we have already booked approximately over $450 million in new orders including the largest ever order in the Natural Gas Power market, setting our second quarter bookings on a course to materially exceed the record we just set in the first quarter.”

CECO Environmental achieved the fastest revenue growth but had the weakest full-year guidance update of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is up 46.9% since reporting and currently trades at $95.35.

Read why we think that CECO Environmental is one of the best industrial & environmental services stocks, our full report is free.

ABM (NYSE: ABM)

With roots dating back to 1909 as a window washing company, ABM Industries (NYSE: ABM) provides integrated facility management, infrastructure, and mobility solutions across various sectors including commercial, manufacturing, education, and aviation.

ABM reported revenues of $2.29 billion, up 8.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3.1%. The business had a strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ organic revenue estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 8.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $43.35.

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

Weakest Q1: Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI)

With a century-long history dating back to 1920 and processing over 15 billion pieces of mail annually, Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI) provides shipping, mailing technology, logistics, and financial services to businesses of all sizes.

Pitney Bowes reported revenues of $477.4 million, down 3.2% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a slower quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.

Pitney Bowes delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. Interestingly, the stock is up 11.8% since the results and currently trades at $17.38.

Read our full analysis of Pitney Bowes’s results here.

UniFirst (NYSE: UNF)

With a fleet of trucks making weekly deliveries to over 300,000 customer locations, UniFirst (NYSE: UNF) provides, rents, cleans, and maintains workplace uniforms and protective clothing for businesses across various industries.

UniFirst reported revenues of $622.5 million, up 3.4% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.3%. It was a strong quarter as it also logged a narrow beat of analysts’ revenue and EPS estimates.

The stock is up 4.9% since reporting and currently trades at $263.86.

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

Tetra Tech (NASDAQ: TTEK)

With a 50-year legacy of "Leading with Science" and operations on all seven continents, Tetra Tech (NASDAQ: TTEK) provides high-end consulting and engineering services focused on water management, environmental solutions, and sustainable infrastructure for government and commercial clients worldwide.

Tetra Tech reported revenues of $1.05 billion, down 4.9% year on year. This number beat analysts’ expectations by 4.8%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also put up an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

Tetra Tech pulled off the biggest analyst estimate beat and highest full-year guidance raise, but had the slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is down 12.3% since reporting and currently trades at $27.95.

Read our full, actionable report on Tetra Tech 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.