Our results and outlook discussed today are on a continuing operations basis. On a consolidated basis, we delivered core revenue growth of 6.7%, adjusted EBITDA growth of 12%, and adjusted EPS growth of 28%. Importantly, our results reflect continued progress on our objective of driving faster profitable organic growth powered by our Fortive Business System Amplified. Second, we remain disciplined in our capital allocation approach with relentless focus on optimizing shareholder returns over the medium to long term.

Finally, we are raising our full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.95-$3.05, reflecting our solid first-half performance and our confidence in the trajectory of the business. Overall, we remain encouraged by the progress we're seeing across innovation, commercial, and recurring customer value, all of which are building the foundation for durable, faster organic growth. At Fluke, our innovation funnel is steadily expanding with new product introductions tightly aligned to strategic growth areas such as data centers, defense, and early-in-career technicians. Demand for CertiFiber Max continues to exceed expectations, helping establish Fluke's position in the rapidly growing data center commissioning and maintenance market and driving pull-through of the broader Fluke portfolio into this high-growth area.

On the commercial side, we maintained our focus on faster-growing end markets and regions where we've made deliberate targeted investments to capture growth. At Fluke, investments in data center expertise drove incremental demand for our networks, power quality, and battery testing product lines. Additionally, we continue to see strong momentum in India, where our localized service and support investments are strengthening customer relationships and helping drive growth. On our recurring customer value initiatives, we made further progress on deepening customer life cycle engagement and improving revenue durability.

What went well
  • Fortive delivered a fourth consecutive quarter of exceeding expectations as 'New Fortive,' with 6.7% core revenue growth, ~12% adjusted EBITDA growth, and 28% adjusted EPS growth, and raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $2.95-$3.05.
  • Total revenue grew 7.9% year over year to $1.10 billion (continuing operations) with adjusted EBITDA up 12% to $323 million and margin expanding ~110 basis points to 29.5%; adjusted EPS was $0.74 and GAAP diluted EPS $0.51 (GAAP net earnings $157 million, up 40.9%).
  • The Intelligent Operating Solutions segment grew 7.4% on a core basis with adjusted EBITDA up 12% to $264 million (~35% margin), led by Fluke strength in data centers and defense (CertiFiber Max demand well above plan) and Facilities and Asset Lifecycle software.
  • The company generated ~$270 million of free cash flow with trailing-twelve-month free cash flow topping $1 billion at over 100% conversion, and returned ~$200 million via buybacks (nearly $2 billion / ~11% of shares since the spin).
  • Fortive completed a majority-stake bolt-on acquisition of UV Smart (UVC disinfection for ASP) and reaffirmed its Fortive Accelerated strategy, with accelerating innovation velocity and AI-enabled software (Gordian Flash AI, Fluke eMaint) contributing to growth.
  • Management raised full-year core growth expectations to ~4% (from 2-3%), trending near the high end of its Investor Day framework, and reaffirmed confidence in its medium-term financial framework.
What went wrong
  • Adjusted gross margin declined ~100 basis points to 63% due to product-mix dynamics from outsized growth in certain lower-margin products across both segments (notably a strategic ServiceChannel product and ASP capital), partially offset by operating leverage.
  • Advanced Healthcare Solutions adjusted EBITDA margin contracted ~80 basis points (to a still-healthy ~26%) on mix and strategic growth investments, with segment adjusted EBITDA up only ~3%.
  • Revenue in Europe, Middle East and Africa declined modestly amid macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions (partly a channel-customer purchase deferral at Fluke, though European point-of-sale was the best in six quarters).
  • Full-year EBITDA margin expansion is trending toward the lower end of the 50-100 basis point framework, and Q4 faces a ~$15-20 million revenue and ~150 basis point core-growth headwind from four fewer selling days.

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodCurrent guidance
Adjusted EPSFY2026Raised to $2.95-$3.05
Core revenue growthFY2026~4% (near the high end of the Investor Day framework)
Reported revenueFY2026~$4.35 billion (current FX); FX+M&A ~50 bps tailwind in Q3 and Q4
Adjusted EBITDA margin expansionFY2026Within the 50-100 bps framework (trending toward the lower end)
Adjusted EBITDA margin / EPS phasingQ3 2026EBITDA margin slightly below Q2 (tougher comp, mix, smaller quarter); Q3 EPS up only very slightly YoY, delivery weighted to Q4
Tax rate / interestFY2026Mid-teens full-year tax rate (Q3 mid-teens, Q4 low double digits); net interest ~$140M

Performance Breakdown

MetricYoYNote
Total revenue +7.9% to $1.10B 6.7% core growth (price and volume in both segments) plus FX/M&A; continuing operations.
Adjusted EPS +28% to $0.74 Adjusted EBITDA growth plus the benefit of share repurchases; GAAP diluted EPS $0.51.
Adjusted EBITDA +12% to $323M Adjusted gross-profit growth, operating leverage and discrete structural cost savings, partly offset by growth investments; margin +110 bps to 29.5%.
Intelligent Operating Solutions core +7.4% Broad momentum across professional instrumentation (Fluke), Facilities/Asset Lifecycle software and gas detection; segment adjusted EBITDA +12% to $264M (~35% margin).
Advanced Healthcare Solutions core +5.3% Strong ASP consumables/services across all regions plus software (Provation) and capital returning to growth; segment adjusted EBITDA +3% to $88M (~26% margin).
Adjusted gross margin -100 bps to 63% Product-mix dynamics from outsized lower-margin product growth, partly offset by operating leverage.
Free cash flow ~$270M (TTM >$1B) Over 100% conversion on net income, underscoring the low-capital-intensity model.

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

TopicPrevious mentionCurrent periodTrend
Fortive Accelerated strategyLaunched at spin (~1 year ago)Three pillars - faster profitable organic growth (innovation, commercial, recurring customer value), disciplined capital allocation, and investor trust - driving four straight quarters of accelerating core growth and margin expansion.
Fluke and data center pull-throughData center one of many end marketsNew products aimed at data centers (CertiFiber Max high-density fiber testing, well above plan) are pulling through Fluke's broader portfolio; Fluke (>40% of the company) had broad-based price+volume strength, book-to-bill above one, and record European POS despite channel deferrals.
AI-enabled softwareAI Center of Excellence (7 years)Measurable-ROI AI features deployed across six software brands (Gordian Flash AI cutting cost-estimating from days to minutes, Fluke eMaint), monetized via explicit sales, outcome-based pricing, token pass-through and higher net dollar retention, at modest incremental investment.
Advanced Healthcare recoveryHospital CapEx pressureASP capital demand returned to growth as hospital budget pressure eased, consumables/services grew in every region, and an FDA clearance for expanded 50-lb STERRAD load capacity enlarges the robotic-surgery sterilization market; UV Smart bolt-on deepens the offering.
Disciplined capital allocation and bolt-on M&ABuyback-heavy post-spin~$2B of buybacks (~11% of shares) since spin, a revamped bolt-on M&A engine now in place (UV Smart completed) skewing toward strongest platforms (Fluke, ASP) and differentiated hardware over software, at 2.7x leverage.
Recurring revenue and lifecycle valueDevice-centric modelRecurring revenue growing double digits at Fluke (services/software/calibration), as customers increasingly want lifecycle experiences (calibration + software + services) rather than just hardware, deepening a loyal installed base.

Q&A Summary

Scott Davis (Melius) asked whether new products are having a tangible top-line impact and about bolt-on M&A priorities/limitations.
Soroye said yes - all 10 brands have deeper new-product funnels aimed at high-growth vectors (CertiFiber Max, ServiceChannel AI) with heavy instrumentation on returns - and that bolt-ons will skew toward the strongest platforms (Fluke ~40%+, ASP) and differentiated hardware, with software only where it has proprietary-data/regulatory-lock-in/network attributes at the right price.
Nigel Coe (Wolfe) asked to confirm Q3 sequential revenue/margin trends, the tax-rate path, and the persistence of mix headwinds and memory-chip inflation.
Okerstrom confirmed normal Q3 seasonality (sequential step-down) with mid-teens Q3 / low-double-digit Q4 tax and mid-teens full year, attributed gross-margin pressure to mix (ASP capital, a lower-margin ServiceChannel product), and said FBS is offsetting inflation with positive price-cost and multi-sourcing, so memory/rare-earth costs are not yet material.
Deane Dray (RBC) asked where Fortive stands in its AI-software rollout, how to size the investment/benefits, and for a Fluke sell-in vs sell-through update.
Soroye said a 7-year AI Center of Excellence gave Fortive a head start, with measurable-ROI use cases adopted across six software brands (monetized multiple ways) at modest incremental cost, and that Fluke had broad-based price+volume strength, record European POS (with only channel deferrals), and book-to-bill above one.
Andrew Kaplowitz (Citi) asked about AHS consumables versus capital and hospital CapEx, and the FAL platform composition.
Soroye said ASP consumables/services grew in every region and capital returned to growth as hospital budget pressure eased, and that FAL growth was led by ServiceChannel with solid Gordian (government year-end) and improving Accruent.
Chris Snyder (Morgan Stanley) asked about back-half segment margins and what is new in Fluke's data center opportunity.
Okerstrom cited the 50-100 bps annual EBITDA framework with Q3 pressure from a tough comp, mix and a smaller quarter (better Q4 margins), and Soroye explained Fluke has always served data centers but new products (CertiFiber Max) now pull through its broader tool set amid urgency to commission capacity.
Andrew Buscaglia (BNP Paribas) asked whether rising manufacturing complexity is driving more calibration/recurring demand and where that points growth investment/M&A.
Soroye said the multi-year trend toward lifecycle engagement (calibration, service plans, software) is driving double-digit Fluke recurring revenue, and that M&A/investment will go where Fortive has the right to win - skewing to differentiated hardware (~70% of the mix) with software only where it attaches to the installed base uniquely.
Quinn Fredrickson (Baird) asked about ACA-subsidy impacts on ASP elective procedures and the STERRAD FDA clearance.
Soroye said reimbursement dynamics are comprehended in the ASP recovery view (capital opening up after last year's pullback, procedural volumes recovering), and that the expanded 50-lb STERRAD clearance enlarges the robotic-surgery sterilization addressable market, expected to lift win rates.
Jamie Cook (Truist) and Chigusa Katoku (JPMorgan) asked about full-year margin expansion trending to the low end, the 2027 setup, and whether AI investment pressures margins like at Roper.
Okerstrom said 63% gross and ~30% EBITDA margins are a good full-year range within the 50-100 bps framework (continuing into 2027), that investments are not going into structurally lower-margin products (CertiFiber Max carries fleet-or-better margins), and that ~4% core growth near the framework high end supports both margin expansion and reinvestment, keeping the aspiration to grow faster than the framework in 2027 in sight.

More on Fortive Corp

Reported 2026-07-29 · figures from the Fortive Corp Q2 2026 earnings call.

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