FTV vs. HWM: Fortive vs. Howmet Aerospace Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Fortive (FTV) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but FTV is classified in Machinery while HWM is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Company profile comparison for Fortive (FTV) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Profile Item	FTV	HWM
Name	Fortive Corporation	Howmet Aerospace Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Machinery	Aerospace & Defense
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components	Aerospace & Defense
Market Capitalization	19.46 billion USD	81.84 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	July 5, 2016	November 1, 2016
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FTV

HWM

GSPC

Fortive (FTV) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM), 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FTV	HWM
Total Return (1Y)	31.85%	5.06%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	11.44%	64.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	3.01%	46.04%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FTV

HWM

GSPC

Fortive (FTV) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM), 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FTV	HWM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	27.76%	37.60%
Beta (5Y)	1.01	1.27
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-32.10%	-36.47%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.44M	3.47M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FTV and HWM 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FTV	HWM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	0.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.51	0.03

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 37.65% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Fortive (FTV) at 10.55% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for HWM.

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%

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

37.65%

Max: 40.55%
HWM: 37.65%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Fortive (FTV) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 21.10% 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%

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

21.10%

Max: 27.47%
HWM: 21.10%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 21.30% and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 28.78% 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%

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

28.78%

Max: 36.60%
HWM: 28.78%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FTV	HWM
ROE (TTM)	10.55%	37.65%
ROA (TTM)	4.61%	13.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	14.83%	21.10%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.30%	28.78%
Gross Margin (TTM)	63.47%	36.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Fortive (FTV) at 1.92% and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 11.06% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 32.03% 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 HWM.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FTV	HWM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	1.92%	11.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-10.62%	13.37%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-26.69%	32.03%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-6.26%	49.51%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 1.86 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

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

1.86

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
HWM: 1.86
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 0.60 and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.80 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

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

0.80

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
HWM: 0.80
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Fortive (FTV) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FTV	HWM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.23	1.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.60	0.80
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.45	1.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 0.38% and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 0.25% 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%

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

0.25%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
HWM: 0.25%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 11.85% and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 9.80% 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%

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

9.80%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
HWM: 9.80%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FTV	HWM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.38%	0.25%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	11.85%	9.80%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Fortive (FTV) at 30.98 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 40.35 sits in the richer quartile — HWM 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

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

40.35

Max: 59.38
HWM: 40.35
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Fortive (FTV) at 4.43 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 8.41 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

8.41

HWM: 8.41
Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Fortive (FTV) vs. Howmet Aerospace (HWM): 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 Howmet Aerospace (HWM) at 14.20 prices above its benchmark range — HWM 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

HWM

Capital Goods industry group

14.20

HWM: 14.20
Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM)
Metric	FTV	HWM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	30.98	40.35
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.43	8.41
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.28	14.20
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	5.05%	1.58%