Joseph O'Dea

Joseph O'Dea with Wells Fargo inquired about customer activity and dealer feedback regarding greenfield and brownfield investments in the U.S. North America in-plant sector, and the nature of these investments. He also asked for more details on the strength in HVAC, particularly new wins in filtration.

Answer

Chairman and CEO Jennifer Parmentier noted that CapEx spending remains selective, but Q1 saw stronger activity in distribution and in-plant, with projects starting to move forward, though she lacked specific breakdowns for local versus foreign investment. For HVAC, she highlighted nice filtration wins in gas turbines within the energy market and also on the mobile side of the business, indicating it has been a growth area for the filtration group.

Joseph O'Dea of Wells Fargo asked for more detail on the 8% aerospace growth forecast, focusing on margin mix implications between OE and aftermarket, and the expected contribution from Meggitt synergies. He also inquired about the latest sentiment from North American distributor partners.

Answer

Chairman & CEO Jennifer Parmentier reiterated the full-year aerospace growth outlook and expressed confidence in continued margin expansion. EVP & CFO Todd Leombruno added that $50 million in Meggitt synergies are still to be realized and will ramp through the year. Regarding distributors, Parmentier described sentiment as bullish with high quoting activity, though some project decisions are being delayed by tariff and interest rate uncertainty.

Joseph O'Dea asked for a breakdown of the mid-single-digit organic growth for fiscal 2026, including color on price, volume by regions, HVAC versus fire and security, and what is already secured versus what still needs to be achieved. He also requested an update on the $500 million multi-year restructuring program, specifically what was achieved in 2025 and what's baked into the 2026 guide.

Answer

CEO Joakim Weidemanis highlighted the record $15 billion backlog and recurring service business providing good predictability, stating the guidance doesn't rely on unproven execution. CFO Marc Vandiepenbeeck detailed that all regions would be within mid-single digits, with EMEA slightly above average. Applied and HVAC would grow faster than mid-single digits, while Fire & Security would be on the lower end. Regarding restructuring, Marc stated that approximately $200 million was spent in fiscal 2025, ahead of schedule, with the runway benefit reflected in 2025's upside and the 2026 guide. He noted that further incremental restructuring might be needed, with expected returns translating into the new operating leverage profile.

Joseph O'Dea asked for more details on Fortive's 'Growth Oxygen' initiative for its operating brands, noting the Q3 R&D decrease and inquiring about the scope of resourcing and the expected timing of its impact on organic growth. He also questioned the organic growth composition, specifically the price and volume split, and where Fortive sees the best opportunities for volume improvement.

Answer

Olumide Soroye, Fortive's President and CEO, described 'Growth Oxygen' as a strategic planning process to identify and fund high-potential organic growth ideas, including product enhancements, commercial capacity expansion in attractive markets (e.g., data centers, India), and new services/software offerings. He noted that some Q3 margin expansion would be reinvested in Q4 to accelerate these initiatives for 2026 impact. Regarding organic growth, Mr. Soroye highlighted continued pricing strength and expressed optimism for significant volume upside across businesses, particularly Fluke and the iOS segment, with specific ideas to drive volume growth over the next 1-3 years.

Joseph O'Dea asked for more color on Fortive's 'Growth Oxygen' initiative, including what it encompasses, the timing of its impact on organic growth, and the composition of organic growth between price and volume.

Answer

President and CEO Olumide Soroye described 'Growth Oxygen' as a disciplined process to identify and fund high-confidence, high-return organic growth ideas (product enhancements, commercial capacity, add-on services) across Fortive's 10 brands, using Q3 margin expansion to invest in Q4 for 2026 impact. He noted that while pricing strength is expected to continue, many new growth ideas are volume-driven, and the volume contribution to growth is expected to improve over the next 1-3 years.

Questioned why the 2025 mid-single-digit growth expectation for electrical distribution isn't higher given the easy comparison from 2024. Also asked why the telecom business was still down significantly in Q4 and why its 2025 growth outlook is muted.

Answer

The company acknowledged there could be upside to the electrical distribution forecast if market orders are strong. For telecom, the 2023 comps were very strong. The outlook for 2025 is muted because they are being disciplined and focusing on profitable growth in that segment, where pricing has been weak, rather than just chasing volume.