Chart Industries (GTLS) is a $2.7 billion global engineering company that specializes in equipment primarily used in energy processing applications such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and in the purification and storage of industrial gases for medical fields.

But its 3rd-quarter earnings report on October 31, which included a miss and guide lower, left investors and the stock completely out of fuel as shares dropped over 27% in the last three weeks.

Chart Industries, which was seen on the forefront of systems required to support trucks that run on LNG, operates in three segments: Energy and Chemicals, Distribution and Storage, and Biomedical. The latter segment wasn't the problem area last quarter.

According to analysts at Global Hunter Securities, 'GTLS printed a disappointing quarter in issues in its two banner segments. The D&S segment missed on the top line due to projects moving out the door slower than anticipated and E&C missed as margins came in lower due to pricing issues.'

The Chart for Chart

After the disappointing report, the stock and its Zacks Rank tell a story that any investor caught with a 'miss and lower' quarter -- as opposed to 'beat and raise' -- can relate to.

GTLS shares fell to a Zacks #5 Rank on November 5 after several analysts revised their estimates lower. At the time, the stock was still trading $102 and gave investors plenty of heads up to plan their exit before dropping below $87 last week.

And GTLS actually went to Zacks #4 Rank on October 19 as some astute analysts began lowering their numbers ahead of the company's quarterly report. It seems the love for this company among many investors made them reluctant to let go of their shares despite the warnings in the revision data.

The LNG Frontier

In the past two years, I have invested in two other companies involved in using LNG for truck fuel. Westport Innovations (WPRT) caught my eye in 2012 as a maker of engine conversion kits, and not least because their 'big brother' in the business was Cummins (CMI).

While some companies like UPS and FedEx already run expanding portions of their fleets with natural gas engines, the idea for all of America's trucks to run on nat gas was popularized by infamous energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens.

The billionaire oil man has spent several years lobbying Congress to pass what is commonly known as the Natural Gas Act. His plan for American energy independence and economic/environmental stability was to have the government subsidize the conversion of 18-wheelers from diesel to nat gas.

WPRT fortunes may have been tied to much to these big expectations about government subsidies for truck engine conversions and the stock has recently fallen to 18-month lows as those 'nat gas dreams' have not materialized.