Natixis Lowers Stake in Fortive Co. (NYSE:FTV)

Natixis decreased its holdings in Fortive Co. (NYSE:FTV - Free Report) by 62.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 130,052 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 218,679 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in Fortive were worth $9,754,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of FTV. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fortive in the 3rd quarter worth $12,031,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Fortive in the third quarter worth about $456,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Fortive by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 16,513 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 829 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Fortive during the 3rd quarter valued at about $854,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Fortive by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 406,085 shares of the technology company's stock worth $32,052,000 after purchasing an additional 10,795 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.94% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Charles E. Mclaughlin sold 32,085 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.86, for a total transaction of $2,530,223.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 76,126 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,003,296.36. This represents a 29.65 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Stacey A. Walker sold 3,002 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.05, for a total transaction of $237,308.10. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 42,373 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,349,585.65. The trade was a 6.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 243,385 shares of company stock worth $19,508,529. Corporate insiders own 1.01% of the company's stock.

Fortive Price Performance

FTV traded up $0.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $68.95. 2,136,841 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,356,679. The company has a market cap of $23.46 billion, a PE ratio of 29.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.12. Fortive Co. has a 1 year low of $60.39 and a 1 year high of $83.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $72.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.57.

Fortive (NYSE:FTV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The technology company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.05. Fortive had a return on equity of 13.15% and a net margin of 13.36%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.98 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fortive Co. will post 4.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fortive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Fortive's payout ratio is 13.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on FTV shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Fortive from $90.00 to $73.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com cut Fortive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup cut their price target on Fortive from $84.00 to $69.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. BNP Paribas downgraded Fortive from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $67.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Fortive from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $81.92.

Fortive Company Profile

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.