Fortive Co. (NYSE:FTV) Position Reduced by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Fortive Co. (NYSE:FTV - Free Report) by 49.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,158 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 9,996 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.'s holdings in Fortive were worth $762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in Fortive by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,899 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in shares of Fortive by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,346 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC increased its position in Fortive by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC now owns 8,854 shares of the technology company's stock worth $699,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Fortive by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 4,585 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in shares of Fortive by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 10,591 shares of the technology company's stock worth $836,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.94% of the company's stock.

Fortive Stock Down 2.2 %

NYSE FTV traded down $1.81 on Friday, hitting $80.03. 3,250,439 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,436,289. 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 has a 50-day moving average of $78.14 and a 200 day moving average of $75.99. Fortive Co. has a twelve month low of $66.15 and a twelve month high of $87.10. The company has a market capitalization of $27.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.15.

Fortive (NYSE:FTV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The technology company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 quarter last year, the company posted $0.98 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Fortive Co. will post 4.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fortive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Fortive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FTV shares. StockNews.com cut Fortive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Fortive from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Fortive from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Argus restated a "hold" rating on shares of Fortive in a report on Monday, November 18th. 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 note on Monday, February 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Fortive presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.64.

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.