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Fortive Corp.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 30 April 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue up 7.7%, core up 5.3%: Revenue was $1.07 billion, up 7.7% reported. Core revenue, which excludes acquisitions, divestitures and currency, rose 5.3%. Source
  • Selling days added to reported growth: Management attributed an ~150 basis point tailwind to reported revenue growth from additional year-over-year selling days in the quarter. Source
  • Diluted EPS growth on both measures: GAAP diluted EPS was $0.44, up 33.3%. Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.70, up 25.4%, against $0.55 a year earlier. Source
  • Healthcare operating profit rose sharply: AHS GAAP operating profit was $33 million, up from $22 million. GAAP operating margin was 10.0%, against 7.2%. Source
  • Margins widened on both measures: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 29.3%, up 140 basis points. GAAP net earnings margin was 12.8%, up 150 basis points. Source
  • Free cash flow rose 13.5%: Free cash flow was $194 million, up 13.5%. GAAP operating cash flow was $220 million, up 14.9%. Source
  • Full-year EPS range reaffirmed: The full-year 2026 adjusted diluted EPS range of $2.90 to $3.00 was reaffirmed after being initiated in February. Source

“We delivered core revenue growth of ~5%, adjusted EBITDA growth of ~13%, and adjusted EPS growth of ~25%”

Olumide Soroye, President and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Adjusted diluted net EPS SourceFY 2026$2.90 to $3.00Kept
Position within adjusted EPS range SourceFY 2026upper half of the $2.90 to $3.00 range

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: The FY 2026 adjusted EPS range of $2.90 to $3.00 was reaffirmed, unchanged from the February guidance. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue up 7.7%, core up 5.3%: Revenue was $1.07 billion, up 7.7% reported. Core revenue, which excludes acquisitions, divestitures and currency, rose 5.3%. Source
  • Selling days added to reported growth: Management attributed an ~150 basis point tailwind to reported revenue growth from additional year-over-year selling days in the quarter. Source
  • Net earnings and adjusted EBITDA rose: GAAP net earnings were $136 million, up 21.1%. Adjusted EBITDA was $314 million, up 13.2%. Source
  • Diluted EPS growth on both measures: GAAP diluted EPS was $0.44, up 33.3%. Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.70, up 25.4%, against $0.55 a year earlier. Source

Segment results

  • Intelligent Operating Solutions revenue growth: IOS revenue was $743 million, up 7.6% reported and 5.2% core, against $691 million a year earlier. Source
  • Healthcare operating profit rose sharply: AHS GAAP operating profit was $33 million, up from $22 million. GAAP operating margin was 10.0%, against 7.2%. Source
  • Healthcare adjusted EBITDA growth: AHS adjusted EBITDA was $84 million, up 17.7%, with a 25.7% margin against 23.6% a year earlier. Source
  • IOS operating margin edged lower: IOS GAAP operating margin was 25.1%, against 25.3% a year earlier. Source

“We remain firmly on track to deliver on our medium-term financial framework”

Olumide Soroye, President and CEO

Margins and cost lines

  • Margins widened on both measures: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 29.3%, up 140 basis points. GAAP net earnings margin was 12.8%, up 150 basis points. Source
  • Cost of sales and gross profit rose: Cost of sales was $393.9 million against $355.6 million. Gross profit was $675.5 million against $637.5 million. Source
  • Restructuring charges increased: Pretax discrete restructuring charges were $6.3 million, against $3.4 million a year earlier. Source
  • Operating expenses rose modestly: SG&A was $417.3 million against $408.2 million. R&D was $66.5 million against $64.0 million. Source

Demand and currency

  • Underlying demand cited: The CEO attributed the quarter's performance to underlying demand for the company's market-leading products. Source
  • Currency lowered reported growth: Currency translation reduced reported revenue growth by 2.4% at Fortive level, by 2.5% in IOS and by 2.1% in AHS. Source
  • Core growth excludes currency and deals: Core revenue growth excludes acquisitions, divestitures and currency translation, which the company said is not under management's control. Source

Cash flow and balance sheet

  • Free cash flow rose 13.5%: Free cash flow was $194 million, up 13.5%. GAAP operating cash flow was $220 million, up 14.9%. Source
  • Capital expenditure rose: Capital expenditure was $26.6 million, against $21.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Cash balance lower than year-end: Cash and equivalents were $356.1 million at April 3, 2026, against $375.5 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Share repurchases and dividends

  • About $500 million repurchased: The company completed about $500 million of share repurchases in the first quarter, representing about 9 million shares. Source
  • Buybacks since launch near $1.8 billion: The CEO said total buybacks across the three quarters since launching new Fortive reached about $1.8 billion. Source
  • Average diluted share count fell: Average diluted shares were 312.8 million, against 344.6 million a year earlier. Source

Strategy and medium-term framework

  • Three strategy pillars named: Management named three pillars: profitable organic growth powered by FBS Amplified, disciplined capital allocation, and investor trust. Source
  • Early progress on all pillars: The CEO said the company is encouraged by early progress on all three pillars of the Fortive Accelerated strategy. Source
  • Medium-term framework described as intact: The company wrote that progress on the Fortive Accelerated strategy is solid and the medium-term financial framework is intact. Source

Guidance and expected EPS range

  • Full-year EPS range reaffirmed: The full-year 2026 adjusted diluted EPS range of $2.90 to $3.00 was reaffirmed after being initiated in February. Source
  • Trend toward upper half: Management said adjusted EPS is currently trending toward the upper half of the full-year range. Source

Coming up, as management said on 30 April 2026

  • Separation restructuring plan completion: Management said the discrete restructuring plan tied to the Separation is expected to be completed by the second half of 2026. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: The CEO said the company continued its commitment to disciplined capital allocation through about $500 million of share repurchases in the quarter. Source
  • On track: Management said the company remains on track to deliver its medium-term financial framework. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.