Dover Corporation (DOV)
Dover Corporation is a diversified industrial giant that makes everything from food refrigeration systems to digital printing equipment and pump components.
Is Dover Corporation a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Highly diversified business model reduces reliance on one single industry. Worth weighing: Complex structure can make it difficult for beginners to track individual segments. Below, we lay out what it does, what its numbers mean, and the honest risks, so you can decide for yourself.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Dover Corporation actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Dover Corporation fell as much as −27% from a high to a later low. Drops of this size are a normal part of owning a share - worth knowing in advance, so a dip doesn't come as a shock.
Worst peak-to-trough fall in the daily closing price over the period we hold. Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Expansion into high-growth technology and automation sectors
Long-term decline in traditional industrial manufacturing demand
What does Dover Corporation do?
Dover operates as a collection of specialised businesses that provide essential equipment and software for industries like manufacturing, energy, and retail. Revenue is generated by selling these high-tech components and systems to other businesses globally. Their ability to steer a diverse portfolio of companies and keep profits steady even when the wider economy hits a rough patch is the thing to follow.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on income and quality, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 1.0% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 7% over the year
- Highly diversified business model reduces reliance on one single industry
- Strong gross margins suggest good control over production costs
- Consistent history of returning value to shareholders
- Global economic slowdowns often hit industrial companies first
- Rising costs for raw materials could squeeze profit margins
- Dependence on large-scale business contracts which can be lumpy
What do Dover Corporation's numbers mean?
How much money does Dover Corporation make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Dover Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - Dover Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 1.0% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
What do the numbers say about Dover Corporation's dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
When does Dover Corporation report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Dover Corporation is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-22 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-23 | $2.72 | $2.74 | In line |
| 2026-04-23 | $2.27 | $2.28 | In line |
| 2026-01-29 | $2.49 | $2.51 | In line |
| 2025-10-23 | $2.51 | $2.62 | Beat +5% |
| 2025-07-24 | $2.39 | $2.44 | Beat +2% |
| 2025-04-24 | $1.98 | $2.05 | Beat +3% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Dover Corporation came in ahead of what analysts expected 3 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Dover Corporation?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Highly diversified business model reduces reliance on one single industry
- Strong gross margins suggest good control over production costs
- Consistent history of returning value to shareholders
- Complex structure can make it difficult for beginners to track individual segments
- Higher beta means the share price can be more sensitive to market swings
- Earnings growth is currently slower than revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago.
- Global economic slowdowns often hit industrial companies first
- Rising costs for raw materials could squeeze profit margins
- Dependence on large-scale business contracts which can be lumpy
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A major shift in strategy away from industrial manufacturing
- A sustained period of declining revenue across multiple business segments
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.