Industrial goods manufacturer Ingersoll-Rand Plc IR reported solid second-quarter 2017 results with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.49 compared with $1.38 in the year-earlier quarter. Adjusted earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.46.The company’s GAAP earnings were $1.38 per share compared with $2.86 in the year-ago period. The year-over-year decrease despite higher revenues was primarily due to rise in operating expenses.Quarterly revenues were $3,908.4 million, up from $3,688.2 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3,795 million. Organic revenues improved 7% year over year. Organic revenues from North America were up 10% while that from International markets were relatively flat. Segmental PerformanceThe climate segment recorded sales of $3,144 million compared with $2,935 million in the year-ago quarter. The upside was driven by solid revenues from commercial and residential HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning)businesses.The Industrial segment reported revenues of $765 million in the quarter, up from $753 million in the prior-year quarter.MarginsOperating margin was 14.3% compared with 13.9% in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted operating margin improved to 14.4% from 14% in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted operating margin for the Climate segment was 16.8% compared with 16.9% in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted operating margin for the Industrial segment was 12.5%, up from 10% in the year-ago quarter.Balance Sheet and Cash FlowAs of Jun 30, 2017, cash and cash equivalents totaled $1,310.1 million while long-term debt was $3,704.5 million. Net cash used in operating activities in the first half of the year was $405.5 million compared with $428.1 million in the prior-year period. Working capital was 5.1% of revenues for 2017 compared with 5.6% in 2016.Ingersoll-Rand PLC (Ireland) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Ingersoll-Rand PLC (Ireland) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Ingersoll-Rand PLC (Ireland) QuoteOutlookIngersoll reaffirmed its guidance for 2017. It expects adjusted EPS from continuing operations to be in the range of $4.35 to $4.50 while revenues are expected to rise 2%. Cash flow from operating activities is expected to be $1.4–$1.5 billion while free cash flow is projected within $1.1–$1.2 billion.Ingersoll currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Stocks to ConsiderSome better-ranked stocks in the sector include Omnicom Group Inc. OMC, Publicis Groupe S.A. PUBGYand WPP plc WPPGY. All three stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Omnicom has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 7.5% and is currently trading at a forward P/E of 16.18x.Publicis Groupe has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 12.9% and is currently trading at a forward P/E of 13.83x.WPP plc has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 9.8% and is currently trading at a forward P/E of 12.69x.The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of AllLast year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Source:Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC): Free Stock Analysis Report WPP PLC (WPPGY): Free Stock Analysis Report Publicis Groupe SA (PUBGY): Free Stock Analysis Report Ingersoll-Rand PLC (Ireland) (IR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research