Financial Security Advisor Inc. Takes Position in Fortive Co. (NYSE:FTV)

Financial Security Advisor Inc. bought a new position in Fortive Co. (NYSE:FTV) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,877 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in Fortive by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 544,921 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $43,011,000 after purchasing an additional 6,217 shares in the last quarter. ASB Consultores LLC increased its position in shares of Fortive by 12.7% in the third quarter. ASB Consultores LLC now owns 3,317 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fortive in the third quarter worth approximately $201,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fortive during the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in shares of Fortive by 550.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 3,250 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 2,750 shares in the last quarter. 94.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on FTV. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Fortive in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $89.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho raised Fortive from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $80.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Friday, September 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Fortive from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $92.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Raymond James upgraded Fortive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Fortive from $82.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.20.

Insider Transactions at Fortive

In related news, CFO Charles E. Mclaughlin sold 6,864 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.03, for a total transaction of $508,141.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 73,391 shares in the company, valued at $5,433,135.73. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Jonathan L. Schwarz sold 14,223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.80, for a total value of $1,049,657.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 68,161 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,030,281.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Charles E. Mclaughlin sold 6,864 shares of Fortive stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.03, for a total transaction of $508,141.92. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 73,391 shares in the company, valued at $5,433,135.73. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 192,895 shares of company stock worth $13,878,151. Insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Fortive Price Performance

Shares of Fortive stock opened at $71.39 on Wednesday. Fortive Co. has a 1-year low of $64.69 and a 1-year high of $87.10. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.44, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.13.

Fortive (NYSE:FTV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. Fortive had a net margin of 14.35% and a return on equity of 12.56%. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Fortive Co. will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Fortive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Fortive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.75%.

About Fortive

Fortive Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and services professional and engineered products, software, and services in the United States, China, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Intelligent Operating Solutions, Precision Technologies, and Advanced Healthcare Solutions. The Intelligent Operating Solutions segment provides advanced instrumentation, software, and services, including electrical test and measurement, facility and asset lifecycle software applications, and connected worker safety and compliance solutions for manufacturing, process industries, healthcare, utilities and power, communications and electronics, and other industries.