FTV vs ITW vs MSA Stock Comparison

Fortive, Illinois Tool Works and MSA Safety Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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FTV Fortive Corp
$64.13 +15.0% 1M +30.5% 1Y
Market cap
$19.63B
P/E
30.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.40B
Div. yield
0.00%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
2 wins
ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$276.03 +0.8% 1M +12.3% 1Y
Market cap
$79.51B
P/E
24.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.65B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
6 wins
MSA MSA Safety Inc
$177.34 -2.8% 1M +9.0% 1Y
Market cap
$6.93B
P/E
22.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.95B
Div. yield
–
Power Tools Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Illinois Tool Works leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Illinois Tool Works 6, MSA Safety 4, Fortive 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionFTVITWMSALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $19.63B $79.51B $6.93B ITW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 30.1x 24.6x 22.1x MSA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.0x 25.9x 19.0x MSA
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.0% +4.8% +6.5% FTV
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.8% 19.4% 16.1% ITW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.1% 27.1% 15.9% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.4x 1.8x 0.8x MSA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.00% ITW
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +30.5% +12.3% +9.0% FTV
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.3%/yr +3.9%/yr +3.0%/yr ITW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 27.0% 21.2% 25.4% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 49/100 50/100 79/100 MSA

Percentile Scorecard

FTVITWMSA

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

AxisFTVITWMSA
Valuation 49 #105 of 203 29 #145 of 203 60 #81 of 203
Growth 25 #141 of 188 34 #124 of 188 86 #27 of 188
Profitability 75 #46 of 184 100 #2 of 184 97 #7 of 184
Financial Health 38 #135 of 217 26 #160 of 217 77 #50 of 217
Shareholder Returns 58 #65 of 153 62 #59 of 153 76 #38 of 153
Overall 49 50 79
  • FTV ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • ITW ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • MSA ranked among 222 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodFTVITWMSASPY
1 month +15.0%+0.8%-2.8% +0.9%
3 months +7.7%-5.6%+0.7% +5.9%
6 months +3.9%+3.9%+8.0% +8.5%
Year to date +16.2%+12.1%+10.7% +13.3%
1 year +30.5%+12.3%+9.0% +12.4%
3 years -1.4%+23.6%+12.5% +88.1%
3 years, per year -0.5%+7.3%+4.0% +23.5%
5 years -15.3%+21.1%+15.9% +68.2%
5 years, per year -3.3%+3.9%+3.0% +11.0%
10 years +27.7%+142.5%+221.0% +263.4%
10 years, per year +2.5%+9.3%+12.4% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureFTVITWMSASPY
Volatility, 1Y 27.0%21.2%25.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 26.1%20.8%23.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.610.470.82 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.130.580.35 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -46.1%-28.9%-34.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-7.9%-12.7% -0.9%
52-week high $64.16$299.60$203.08 $779.14
52-week low $49.16$241.07$152.94 $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.

MultipleFTVITWMSA
P/E now vs peer median 29.6xmedian 25.4x 24.3xmedian 25.4x 21.8xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 4.3xmedian 1.9x 4.7xmedian 1.9x 3.5xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 16.9xmedian 14.3x 18.0xmedian 14.3x 14.8xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 17.6xmedian 21.8x 27.4xmedian 21.8x 19.3xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 2.2x 25.0xmedian 2.2x 4.9xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median -11.18median 1.41 8.41median 1.41 0.12median 1.41

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 monthsFTVITWMSA
Revenue $4.40B $16.65B $1.95B
Gross profit $2.79B $7.38B $925.88M
Operating income $863.00M $4.43B $413.17M
Net income $651.90M $3.23B $314.01M
Free cash flow $1.09B $2.87B $354.30M
R&D $268.20M – $68.19M
EPS (diluted) $2.15 $11.31 $8.11
Cash & equivalents $377.30M $809.00M $200.06M
Total debt $3.51B $9.37B $599.74M
Shares (diluted) 303.90M 285.30M 38.70M
Enterprise value $18.15B $76.18B $6.21B

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
MetricFTVITWMSA
P/E 29.6x 24.3x 21.8x
P/FCF 17.6x 27.4x 19.3x
P/Operating cash flow 15.9x 24.0x 16.9x
P/S 4.3x 4.7x 3.5x
P/B 3.2x 25.0x 4.9x
P/Tangible book 4.7x 30.2x 6.1x
EV/EBITDA 16.9x 18.0x 14.8x
EV/EBIT 25.8x 19.6x 17.5x
EV/Revenue 5.1x 5.2x 3.7x
EV/FCF 20.5x 30.3x 20.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.5x 26.7x 17.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -11.18 8.41 0.12

Growth

14 metrics
MetricFTVITWMSA
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.0% 4.8% 6.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -9.9% 1.1% 5.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 6.2% 5.7% 8.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -7.6% 2.8% 6.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 22.1% 6.4% 10.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -8.1% 3.1% 34.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 8.2% 6.7% 13.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -7.7% 0.9% 186.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 18.7% 9.1% 15.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -2.6% 2.9% 188.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -1.6% -0.5% 26.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.3% -0.5% 96.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.3% 0.8% 40.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.9% 0.4% 72.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricFTVITWMSA
Gross margin 63.5% 44.3% 47.6%
EBITDA margin 29.9% 29.0% 25.1%
Operating margin 19.6% 26.6% 21.2%
Pretax margin 16.8% 25.2% 21.1%
Net margin 14.8% 19.4% 16.1%
FCF margin 24.7% 17.2% 18.2%
Operating cash flow margin 27.3% 19.6% 20.9%
Return on equity 10.8% 106.9% 22.8%
Return on assets 5.6% 19.6% 12.2%
Return on invested capital 8.1% 27.1% 15.9%
Return on capital employed 8.4% 38.9% 18.0%
Asset turnover 0.4x 1.0x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.8x 1.0x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 2.0% 0.5% 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricFTVITWMSA
Debt / assets 30.6% 56.8% 23.1%
Debt / equity 0.6x 3.0x 0.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.4x 1.8x 0.8x
Debt / FCF 3.2x 3.3x 1.7x
Liabilities / assets 48.2% 81.0% 46.1%
Equity / assets 51.8% 19.0% 53.9%
Interest coverage 4.9x 14.3x 12.7x
Current ratio 1.2x 1.3x 3.2x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.8x 1.9x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.7x
Altman Z-score 3.44 8.17 5.89

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFTVITWMSA
Dividend yield 0.4% 2.4% 1.2%
Net buyback yield 6.7% 2.1% 1.8%
Shareholder yield 7.0% 4.4% 3.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 11.7% 57.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 7.0% 64.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) -24.4% 5.2% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -8.3% 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.

ConsensusFTVITWMSA
Forward P/E 20.0xFY2026 25.9xFY2026 19.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.20FY2026 $10.67FY2026 $9.33FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.1%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026 +17.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -3.1% +19.3% +3.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.63BFY2026 $16.46BFY2026 $1.98BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.4%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026 +5.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -6.7% +11.4% +19.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersFTVITWMSA
Held by institutions 100.0% 84.9% 91.0%
Institutions holding 803 1,969 457
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.8% +0.8% +3.0%
Institutions buying 350 846 236
Institutions selling 301 750 147
Buyers to sellers 1.16 1.13 1.61

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.

FTVITWMSA
FTV 1.00 0.57 0.26
ITW 0.57 1.00 0.57
MSA 0.26 0.57 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FTV, ITW and MSA?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Fortive (FTV) $19.63B, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $79.51B, MSA Safety (MSA) $6.93B.

Which stock is cheaper, FTV, ITW and MSA?

MSA Safety (MSA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Fortive (FTV) 30.1x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 24.6x, MSA Safety (MSA) 22.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, MSA Safety (MSA) is cheapest (Fortive (FTV) 20.0x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 25.9x, MSA Safety (MSA) 19.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Fortive (FTV) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Fortive (FTV) +7.0%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.8%, MSA Safety (MSA) +6.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest net margin (Fortive (FTV) 14.8%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%, MSA Safety (MSA) 16.1%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Fortive (FTV) 8.1%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%, MSA Safety (MSA) 15.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Fortive (FTV) returned the most: Fortive (FTV) +30.5%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +12.3%, MSA Safety (MSA) +9.0%. Over five years, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) compounded fastest (Fortive (FTV) -3.3%/yr, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +3.9%/yr, MSA Safety (MSA) +3.0%/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%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 0.02%, MSA Safety (MSA) 0.00%. MSA Safety (MSA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been the steadiest (Fortive (FTV) 27.0%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 21.2%, MSA Safety (MSA) 25.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 6. 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.