FTV vs. GE: Fortive vs. GE Aerospace Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but FTV is classified in Machinery while GE is classified in Industrial Conglomerates.

Company profile comparison for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Profile Item	FTV	GE
Name	Fortive Corporation	General Electric Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Industrial Conglomerates
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components	Industrial Conglomerates
Market Capitalization	19.46 billion USD	335.38 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	July 5, 2016	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FTV

GSPC

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FTV	GE
Total Return (1Y)	31.85%	9.16%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	11.44%	55.50%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	3.01%	37.59%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FTV

GSPC

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FTV	GE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	27.76%	34.52%
Beta (5Y)	1.01	1.39
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-32.10%	-44.94%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.44M	4.48M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FTV and GE are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FTV	GE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	0.14
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.51	0.20

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

GE Aerospace (GE) at 50.17% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Fortive (FTV) at 10.55%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

FTV

Capital Goods industry group

10.55%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
FTV: 10.55%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

GE

Capital Goods industry group

50.17%

GE: 50.17%
Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Fortive (FTV) at 14.83% and GE Aerospace (GE) at 17.31% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

FTV

Capital Goods industry group

14.83%

Max: 27.47%
FTV: 14.83%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

GE

Capital Goods industry group

17.31%

Max: 27.47%
GE: 17.31%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 21.30% and GE Aerospace (GE) at 18.49% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

FTV

Capital Goods industry group

21.30%

Max: 36.60%
FTV: 21.30%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

GE

Capital Goods industry group

18.49%

Max: 36.60%
GE: 18.49%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FTV	GE
ROE (TTM)	10.55%	50.17%
ROA (TTM)	4.61%	5.06%
Net Margin (TTM)	14.83%	17.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.30%	18.49%
Gross Margin (TTM)	63.47%	30.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Fortive (FTV) at 1.92% and GE Aerospace (GE) at 18.48% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

GE Aerospace (GE) at 35.89% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Fortive (FTV) at -26.69% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for GE.

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FTV	GE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	1.92%	18.48%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-10.62%	16.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-26.69%	35.89%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-6.26%	446.03%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 1.23 and GE Aerospace (GE) at 0.98 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

FTV

Capital Goods industry group

1.23

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
FTV: 1.23
Min: 0.36

GE

Capital Goods industry group

0.98

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
GE: 0.98
Min: 0.36

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Fortive (FTV) at 0.60 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 1.16 uses more debt funding than most peers.

FTV

Capital Goods industry group

0.60

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
FTV: 0.60
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

GE

Capital Goods industry group

1.16

Max: 2.33
GE: 1.16
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FTV	GE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.23	0.98
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.60	1.16
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.45	0.93

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 0.38% and GE Aerospace (GE) at 0.56% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

FTV

Capital Goods industry group

0.38%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
FTV: 0.38%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GE

Capital Goods industry group

0.56%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
GE: 0.56%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 11.85% and GE Aerospace (GE) at 20.23% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

FTV

Capital Goods industry group

11.85%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
FTV: 11.85%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GE

Capital Goods industry group

20.23%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
GE: 20.23%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FTV	GE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.38%	0.56%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	11.85%	20.23%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Fortive (FTV) at 30.98 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 36.94 sits in the richer quartile — GE needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

FTV

Capital Goods industry group

30.98

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
FTV: 30.98
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

GE

Capital Goods industry group

36.94

Max: 59.38
GE: 36.94
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 4.43 and GE Aerospace (GE) at 6.38 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

FTV

Capital Goods industry group

4.43

Max: 7.54
FTV: 4.43
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

GE

Capital Goods industry group

6.38

Max: 7.54
GE: 6.38
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Fortive (FTV) at 3.28 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while GE Aerospace (GE) at 19.06 prices above its benchmark range — GE looks rich relative to book.

FTV

Capital Goods industry group

3.28

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
FTV: 3.28
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

GE

Capital Goods industry group

19.06

GE: 19.06
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Fortive (FTV) vs. GE Aerospace (GE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fortive (FTV) and GE Aerospace (GE)
Metric	FTV	GE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	30.98	36.94
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.43	6.38
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.28	19.06
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	5.05%	1.89%