Seek Returns

FTV vs. WSO.B: Fortive vs. Watsco Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Fortive (FTV) and Watsco (WSO.B)
Profile ItemFTVWSO.B
NameFortive CorporationWatsco Inc. Class B Common Stock
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 USD12.92 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJuly 5, 2016March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FTV
WSO.B
GSPC
Loading price history…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B), 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 Watsco (WSO.B). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFTVWSO.B
Total Return (1Y)31.85%-11.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)11.44%-3.05%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)3.01%4.30%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Fortive (FTV) trades around 2.44M shares per day on average, while Watsco (WSO.B) sees only 74 — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk profile metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFTVWSO.B
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)27.76%40.28%
Beta (5Y)1.010.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)-32.10%-43.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.44M74

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
FTV and WSO.B 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 Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFTVWSO.B
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.99-0.38
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.51-0.57

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 10.55% and Watsco (WSO.B) at 16.21% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

16.21%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
WSO.B
16.21%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): 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 Watsco (WSO.B) at 6.31%, 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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

6.31%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
WSO.B
6.31%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): 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 Watsco (WSO.B) at 10.14%, 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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

10.14%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
WSO.B
10.14%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFTVWSO.B
ROE (TTM)10.55%16.21%
ROA (TTM)4.61%8.27%
Net Margin (TTM)14.83%6.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)21.30%10.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)63.47%27.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Fortive (FTV) at 1.92% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Watsco (WSO.B) at -4.98% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Fortive (FTV) at -26.69% and Watsco (WSO.B) at -7.47% 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. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFTVWSO.B
Revenue Growth (YoY)1.92%-4.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-10.62%-0.16%
EPS Growth (YoY)-26.69%-7.47%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-6.26%-6.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.15 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Fortive (FTV) at 1.23 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

3.15

Max
5.22
WSO.B
3.15
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 0.16 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Fortive (FTV) at 0.60 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

0.16

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
WSO.B
0.16
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): 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 Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFTVWSO.B
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.233.15
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.600.16
Net Debt / EBITDA2.45-0.14

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Fortive (FTV) at 0.38% pays an industry-typical yield; Watsco (WSO.B) at 4.02% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

4.02%

WSO.B
4.02%
Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) reports payout ratio above 100% at 109.66%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Fortive (FTV) reports 11.85%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

109.66%

WSO.B
109.66%
Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFTVWSO.B
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.38%4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)11.85%109.66%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Fortive (FTV) at 30.98 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 27.26 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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

27.26

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
WSO.B
27.26
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 1.74 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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

1.74

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
WSO.B
1.74
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Fortive (FTV) at 3.28 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.99 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

3.99

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
WSO.B
3.99
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
Fortive (FTV) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fortive (FTV) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricFTVWSO.B
P/E Ratio (TTM)30.9827.26
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.431.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.283.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)5.05%3.50%