Fortive Corporation (FTV)
Fortive is a behind-the-scenes industrial technology company that makes the precision tools, software, and sensors used to keep factories and labs running smoothly.
Is Fortive Corporation a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: High gross margins suggest strong pricing power. Worth weighing: Recent earnings growth has been negative. 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 Fortive Corporation actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Fortive Corporation fell as much as −26% 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.
Becoming a dominant player in industrial software
Technological obsolescence of core hardware
What does Fortive Corporation do?
Fortive operates like the 'plumbing' of the modern industrial world, providing essential equipment for testing, measuring, and monitoring complex systems. Sales of these high-tech tools and software subscriptions to businesses in sectors like healthcare and manufacturing keep the lights on. What really matters here is whether they can turn their high profit margins into actual earnings growth, since recent figures show a dip in profits despite steady revenue.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on income and momentum, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 0.4% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 8% over the year
- !High P/E of 31 - big growth is already priced in
- High gross margins suggest strong pricing power
- Essential role in critical industrial and healthcare infrastructure
- Steady revenue growth indicates a stable customer base
- Economic slowdowns often lead to reduced industrial spending
- Competition from other technology and engineering firms
- Integration risks from acquiring other businesses
What do Fortive Corporation's numbers mean?
How much money does Fortive Corporation make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Fortive Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - Fortive Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 0.4% 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 Fortive 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 Fortive Corporation report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Fortive Corporation is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-28 - 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-29 | $0.71 | $0.74 | Beat +5% |
| 2026-04-30 | $0.64 | $0.70 | Beat +9% |
| 2026-02-04 | $0.84 | $0.90 | Beat +7% |
| 2025-10-29 | $0.57 | $0.68 | Beat +19% |
| 2025-07-30 | $0.59 | $0.58 | Missed -2% |
| 2025-05-01 | $0.85 | $0.85 | In line |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Fortive Corporation came in ahead of what analysts expected 4 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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Hewlett Packard EnterpriseWhat are the scenarios for Fortive Corporation?
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 Fortive Corporation?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- High gross margins suggest strong pricing power
- Essential role in critical industrial and healthcare infrastructure
- Steady revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago. indicates a stable customer base
- Recent earnings growth has been negative
- Low dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone. may not appeal to income-focused investors
- High current P/E ratio: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth. suggests high expectations from the market
- Economic slowdowns often lead to reduced industrial spending
- Competition from other technology and engineering firms
- Integration risks from acquiring other businesses
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained period of rising earnings growth
- A significant shift in the company's profit margins
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.