One-glance verdict
$81.62 our estimate vs market $60.68
Wall Street consensus: $63.62 (-22.0% lower than our fair-value estimate)
26% below our estimate, below the bear case
Fundamentals snapshot
FTV · NYQ · Technology · Scientific & Technical Instruments
Current price
$60.68
52-week range
$46.34 - $63.40
Market cap
$18.50B
One-glance verdict
Wall Street consensus: $63.62 (-22.0% lower than our fair-value estimate)
26% below our estimate, below the bear case
Balance sheet
Net debt $3.23B. Interest coverage shows how many times profit covers the interest bill.
What stands out
What this company does
Fortive provides specialized tools and software that other essential businesses, like factories and hospitals, rely on to operate safely and efficiently. It makes money primarily by selling critical products to the healthcare industry, such as systems that sterilize medical instruments, and by providing operational tools to industrial companies. Because these offerings are often necessary for its customers' day-to-day work, it can create a steady and reliable business for the company.
Fortive was established in 2016 when it was separated from Danaher Corporation, a larger science and technology company. This move was designed to create a more focused industrial technology company. From the start, Fortive inherited a set of well-known brands and a method of doing business called the Fortive Business System, which focuses on continuous improvement. Over the years, it has grown by acquiring other companies, such as Industrial Scientific (gas detection products) and Advanced Sterilization Products (infection prevention for hospitals), to strengthen its position in specific markets. The company has also sharpened its focus by spinning off other parts of its business, like its transportation-related businesses which became Vontier.
Fortive provides essential technologies that other businesses use to keep their operations safe and running smoothly. Think of them as a company that makes specialized tools and software for professionals in critical fields like manufacturing, energy, and healthcare. For example, they make handheld devices that electricians use to test circuits, software that hospitals use to track and sterilize surgical tools, and sensors that detect dangerous gases in industrial plants. Their products aren't typically sold to everyday consumers but are vital for the companies and professionals who rely on them to do their jobs effectively and safely.
This is Fortive's largest business segment, making up a significant portion of its revenue. It provides a mix of hardware and software to various industries to help them operate more safely and efficiently. Customers in manufacturing, utilities, and even healthcare buy products from brands like Fluke (professional electronic test tools), Industrial Scientific (gas detectors), and ServiceChannel (software for managing facility maintenance). Essentially, this segment helps companies manage their physical assets, monitor for hazards, and ensure their workers are safe and their facilities are compliant with regulations.
This segment focuses entirely on the healthcare industry, providing tools and software that are critical for patient safety and hospital efficiency. Hospitals and medical facilities pay for solutions that help with things like sterilizing surgical instruments (from a brand called ASP) and software that helps manage clinical workflows (from a brand called Provation). This part of the business is all about helping healthcare providers protect patients from infections, ensure medical equipment is working correctly, and make complex medical procedures safer and more efficient.
Fortive's leadership is focused on growing the parts of the business that provide recurring revenue (predictable income from subscriptions and services, rather than one-time sales). They are doing this by emphasizing software-enabled workflow solutions, which deeply integrate into a customer's daily operations, making the services very sticky. The company is also concentrating on high-growth markets, particularly in healthcare technology and solutions that improve safety and productivity for its industrial customers. A key part of their strategy involves using artificial intelligence (AI) and other new technologies to make their products smarter and more valuable to customers.
Price history
Earnings history
Click any quarter to read the call summary and what the numbers say.
Is it cheap or expensive?
Wall Street consensus is the average analyst price target: $63.62 (-22.0% lower than our fair-value estimate).
Our most-likely fair value is $81.62 a share — about 34.5% above today's price of $60.68, so the stock currently looks cheap (undervalued).
Is it drowning in debt?
Net debt $3.2B. Interest coverage 6.0x.
Fortive Corporation's profit covers its interest bill about 6.0 times over. which is weaker than most peers shown here.
Total debt $3.58B Interest coverage 5.98x This is the baseline the peer rows are being compared against.
Total debt $2.46B Interest coverage 23.51x +293% vs FTV Carries about 3.9x more debt cushion than FTV.
Total debt $10.46B Interest coverage 6.88x +15% vs FTV Carries about 1.2x more debt cushion than FTV.
Total debt $2.76B Interest coverage 9.12x +53% vs FTV Carries about 1.5x more debt cushion than FTV.
Total debt $2.23B Interest coverage 16.32x +173% vs FTV Carries about 2.7x more debt cushion than FTV.
Total debt $5.60B Interest coverage 11.54x +93% vs FTV Carries about 1.9x more debt cushion than FTV.
What you should know
The numbers
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Valuation
Profitability
Health
Growth
Cash flow
Dividend
Metric explainer
Debt comparison
What you should know