FTV vs HWM vs ITW Stock Comparison

Fortive, Howmet Aerospace and Illinois Tool Works Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
FTV Fortive Corp
$60.25 +7.1% 1M +21.4% 1Y
Market cap
$18.47B
P/E
34.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.32B
Div. yield
0.00%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
2 wins
HWM Howmet Aerospace Inc.
$185.88 -18.7% 1M -7.1% 1Y
Market cap
$77.71B
P/E
41.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.12B
Div. yield
0.00%
Commercial Aerospace Industrials
5 wins
ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$275.75 +0.8% 1M +7.1% 1Y
Market cap
$79.10B
P/E
24.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.47B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Illinois Tool Works leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Illinois Tool Works 5, Howmet Aerospace 5, Fortive 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionFTVHWMITWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $18.47B $77.71B $79.10B ITW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 34.6x 41.6x 24.8x ITW
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.8x 35.8x 25.8x FTV
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.6% +18.1% +4.3% HWM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.4% 20.5% 19.4% HWM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 7.4% 19.4% 27.1% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 1.4x 1.9x HWM
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.02% ITW
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +21.4% -7.1% +7.1% FTV
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -4.1%/yr +43.6%/yr +4.2%/yr HWM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.7% 34.9% 21.8% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 48/100 74/100 48/100 HWM

Percentile Scorecard

FTVHWMITW

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisFTVHWMITW
Valuation 46 #111 of 203 39 #61 of 100 24 #154 of 203
Growth 19 #153 of 188 90 #11 of 97 33 #127 of 188
Profitability 73 #52 of 187 98 #3 of 96 100 #2 of 187
Financial Health 39 #137 of 222 50 #54 of 106 23 #172 of 222
Shareholder Returns 63 #58 of 153 92 #6 of 65 60 #62 of 153
Overall 48 74 48
  • FTV ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • HWM ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • ITW ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodFTVHWMITWSPY
1 month +7.1%-18.7%+0.8% -1.0%
3 months -3.3%-35.8%-2.6% +2.9%
6 months -1.4%-23.3%+2.4% +6.4%
Year to date +9.1%-9.3%+12.0% +11.4%
1 year +21.4%-7.1%+7.1% +13.1%
3 years -14.2%+327.3%+23.6% +79.4%
3 years, per year -5.0%+62.3%+7.3% +21.5%
5 years -19.0%+510.2%+22.8% +67.7%
5 years, per year -4.1%+43.6%+4.2% +10.9%
10 years +23.8%—+143.9% +255.2%
10 years, per year +2.2%—+9.3% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureFTVHWMITWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.7%34.9%21.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.9%36.4%21.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.591.080.45 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.80-0.200.33 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -46.1%-36.5%-28.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.1%-36.5%-8.0% -2.5%
52-week high $64.16$292.71$299.60 $779.14
52-week low $49.16$185.88$241.07 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleFTVHWMITW
P/E now vs peer median 34.3xmedian 25.9x 39.8xmedian 26.2x 24.7xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 4.2xmedian 1.9x 8.2xmedian 2.9x 4.8xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.3xmedian 13.7x 28.0xmedian 14.7x 18.3xmedian 13.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.4xmedian 21.1x 41.5xmedian 24.9x 26.9xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 3.0xmedian 2.3x 13.0xmedian 2.4x 27.1xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median -4.16median 1.19 0.73median 0.92 8.36median 1.19

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsFTVHWMITW
Revenue $4.32B $9.12B $16.47B
Gross profit $2.73B $3.29B $7.27B
Operating income $786.70M $2.50B $4.36B
Net income $534.40M $1.87B $3.19B
Free cash flow $937.60M $1.79B $2.92B
R&D $262.00M $37.00M –
EPS (diluted) $1.74 $4.65 $11.13
Cash & equivalents $374.20M $563.00M $839.00M
Total debt $3.51B $20.67B $9.69B
Shares (diluted) 307.60M 402.00M 287.00M
Enterprise value $16.94B $73.31B $75.66B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricFTVHWMITW
P/E 34.3x 39.8x 24.7x
P/FCF 19.4x 41.5x 26.9x
P/Operating cash flow 17.3x 33.5x 23.6x
P/S 4.2x 8.2x 4.8x
P/B 3.0x 13.0x 27.1x
P/Tangible book 4.5x 15.3x 33.6x
EV/EBITDA 17.3x 28.0x 18.3x
EV/EBIT 27.2x 31.4x 20.0x
EV/Revenue 5.0x 8.6x 5.3x
EV/FCF 22.8x 43.7x 29.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.3x 35.3x 26.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -4.16 0.73 8.36

Growth

14 metrics
MetricFTVHWMITW
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.6% 18.1% 4.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -10.3% 13.7% 0.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 4.2% 30.2% 5.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -7.9% 25.3% 2.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 9.4% 32.6% 6.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -9.9% 34.8% 3.4%
Net income growth (1Y) -30.5% 33.9% -5.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -12.6% 52.1% 1.0%
EPS growth (1Y) -22.8% 35.4% -3.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -8.3% 54.1% 3.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -30.6% 56.1% 5.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -6.6% 42.2% 3.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -34.8% 75.9% 7.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -7.5% 45.6% 4.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricFTVHWMITW
Gross margin 63.2% 36.0% 44.2%
EBITDA margin 28.6% 30.7% 28.9%
Operating margin 18.2% 27.4% 26.5%
Pretax margin 15.6% 25.0% 25.0%
Net margin 12.4% 20.5% 19.4%
FCF margin 21.7% 19.6% 17.7%
Operating cash flow margin 24.4% 24.4% 20.2%
Return on equity 8.8% 33.3% 104.3%
Return on assets 4.6% 14.2% 19.5%
Return on invested capital 7.4% 19.4% 27.1%
Return on capital employed 7.6% 23.0% 41.9%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.7x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x 1.2x 1.0x
Stock comp / revenue 2.7% 1.0% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricFTVHWMITW
Debt / assets 30.2% 34.0% 58.8%
Debt / equity 0.6x 0.8x 3.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 1.4x 1.9x
Debt / FCF 3.7x 2.5x 3.3x
Liabilities / assets 47.7% 56.7% 82.4%
Equity / assets 52.3% 43.3% 17.6%
Interest coverage 12.8x – 14.5x
Current ratio 1.2x 1.8x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.7x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 3.29 7.95 8.00

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFTVHWMITW
Dividend yield 0.4% 0.3% 2.4%
Net buyback yield 10.8% 1.3% 2.3%
Shareholder yield 11.2% 1.6% 4.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 10.6% 10.4% 57.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) 6.0% 10.9% 62.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) -48.4% 30.0% 5.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -17.0% 47.3% 5.1%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusFTVHWMITW
Forward P/E 18.8xFY2026 35.8xFY2026 25.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.20FY2026 $5.19FY2026 $10.67FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.1%FY2026 +37.7%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -3.1% +31.2% +19.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.63BFY2026 $10.37BFY2026 $16.46BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.4%FY2026 +25.7%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -6.7% +15.9% +11.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersFTVHWMITW
Held by institutions 100.0% 91.0% 84.9%
Institutions holding 803 1,600 1,969
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.8% +0.7% +0.8%
Institutions buying 350 907 846
Institutions selling 301 484 750
Buyers to sellers 1.16 1.87 1.13

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

FTVHWMITW
FTV 1.00 0.09 0.57
HWM 0.09 1.00 0.29
ITW 0.57 0.29 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FTV, HWM and ITW?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Fortive (FTV) $18.47B, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) $77.71B, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $79.10B.

Which stock is cheaper, FTV, HWM and ITW?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Fortive (FTV) 34.6x, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 41.6x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 24.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Fortive (FTV) is cheapest (Fortive (FTV) 18.8x, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 35.8x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 25.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Fortive (FTV) +5.6%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) +18.1%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Howmet Aerospace (HWM) has the highest net margin (Fortive (FTV) 12.4%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 20.5%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Fortive (FTV) 7.4%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 19.4%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Fortive (FTV) returned the most: Fortive (FTV) +21.4%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) -7.1%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +7.1%. Over five years, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) compounded fastest (Fortive (FTV) -4.1%/yr, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) +43.6%/yr, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest dividend yield: Fortive (FTV) 0.00%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 0.00%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 0.02%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been the steadiest (Fortive (FTV) 26.7%, Howmet Aerospace (HWM) 34.9%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 21.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, FTV, HWM and ITW?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.