Fortive's (FTV) Q4 Earnings To Gain From Portfolio Strength

Fortive Corporation (NYSE:FTV) is set to report fourth-quarter 2017 results on Feb 8.

Notably, the company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates for earnings in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 3.78%. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive surprise of 5.48%.

Coming to the price performance, on a 12-month basis, the company’s shares have rallied 30% compared with the industry’s growth of 39.5%.

Let’s find out what Fortive has to offer investors in this quarter.

Portfolio Strength, Acquisitions: Key Catalysts

Fortive’s diverse product portfolio and expansion into the Cloud computing segment is quite encouraging. The acquisitions of eMaint Enterprises by Fortive’s subsidiary, Fluke, and the buyout of Global Traffic Technologies have allowed the company to enter into the rapidly growing cloud computing market.

In the third quarter, Fortive closed the acquisition of Industrial Scientific and Landauer. These acquisitions are anticipated to contribute key product technologies and drive recurring revenues.

We expect strong demand for the company’s products like Tektronix and Qualitrol, among others to continue driving growth in China.

Further, the Tektronix 5 Series mixed-signal oscilloscope has gained significant traction since its release in June.

Moreover, Fortive’s restructuring actions have been aiding the company to lower its cost structure. The company has also been focusing on products which generally carry higher margins. These actions are expected to generate higher gross and operating margins for the company in the to-be reported quarter.

Why a Likely Positive Surprise?

Moreover, our proven model shows that Fortive is likely to beat earnings due to the favorable combination of a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and +0.64% Earnings ESP. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings estimates.

Conversely, Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement.

Fortive Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

Fortive Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Fortive Corporation Quote

Stocks to Consider

Here are a few stocks that you may want to consider as our model shows these have the right combination of elements to deliver a positive earnings surprise.

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) , with an Earnings ESP of +0.57% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) , with an Earnings ESP of +4.13% and a Zacks Rank #2

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) , with an Earnings ESP of +8.72% and a Zacks Rank #3.

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