Seek Returns

FTV vs. GWW: Fortive vs. W.W. Grainger Stock Comparison

How do Fortive (FTV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW) 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but FTV is classified in Machinery while GWW is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Fortive (FTV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
Profile ItemFTVGWW
NameFortive CorporationW.W. Grainger Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryMachineryTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & ComponentsTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization19.46 billion USD67.45 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJuly 5, 2016February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FTV
GWW
GSPC
Loading price history…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW), 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Fortive (FTV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fortive (FTV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricFTVGWW
Total Return (1Y)31.85%54.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)11.44%24.16%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)3.01%25.95%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FTV
GWW
GSPC
Loading price history…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW), 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Fortive (FTV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricFTVGWW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)27.76%24.49%
Beta (5Y)1.010.93
Max Drawdown (5Y)-32.10%-24.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.44M250.35K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
FTV and GWW 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricFTVGWW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.992.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.513.31

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 52.33% 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%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

52.33%

GWW
52.33%
Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Fortive (FTV) at 14.83% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 11.17%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

11.17%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
GWW
11.17%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Fortive (FTV) at 21.30% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 16.14%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

16.14%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
GWW
16.14%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fortive (FTV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricFTVGWW
ROE (TTM)10.55%52.33%
ROA (TTM)4.61%20.34%
Net Margin (TTM)14.83%11.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)21.30%16.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)63.47%39.43%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Fortive (FTV) at 1.92% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 4.51% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Fortive (FTV) at -26.69% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at -8.55% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fortive (FTV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricFTVGWW
Revenue Growth (YoY)1.92%4.51%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-10.62%5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)-26.69%-8.55%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-6.26%5.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 2.61 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Fortive (FTV) at 1.23 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for FTV.

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

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

2.61

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
GWW
2.61
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 0.60 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

0.65

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
GWW
0.65
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricFTVGWW
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.232.61
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.600.65
Net Debt / EBITDA2.450.69

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 0.38% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 0.65% 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%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

0.65%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
GWW
0.65%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 11.85% and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 20.87% 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%

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

20.87%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
GWW
20.87%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fortive (FTV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricFTVGWW
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.38%0.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)11.85%20.87%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 30.98 and W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 31.66 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

31.66

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
GWW
31.66
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 3.48 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Fortive (FTV) at 4.43 sits in the pricier quartile — FTV costs more per dollar of sales.

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

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

3.48

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
GWW
3.48
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): 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 W.W. Grainger (GWW) at 15.56 prices above its benchmark range — GWW 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

GWW

Capital Goods industry group

15.56

GWW
15.56
Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. W.W. Grainger (GWW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fortive (FTV) and W.W. Grainger (GWW)
MetricFTVGWW
P/E Ratio (TTM)30.9831.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.433.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.2815.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)5.05%1.97%