Fortive FTV reported first-quarter 2021 earnings of 63 cents per share, which outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.8% and increased 37% year over year.Sales increased 13.6% year over year to $1.26 billion and beat the consensus mark by 2.9%.Quarter DetailIntelligent Operating Solutions segment generated revenues of $510.9 million (accounting for 40.6% of total first-quarter revenues), which increased 9.5% on a year-over-year basis.Precision Technologies segment generated revenues of $447.4 million (35.5% of total revenues), which increased 14.3% year over year. Fortive Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fortive Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fortive Corporation Quote Advanced Healthcare Solutions segment generated revenues of $300.9 million (23.9% of total revenues), which increased 20.3% year over year.Gross margin came in at 56.5%, which expanded 130 basis points (bps) year over year.Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) expenses were $428.1 million, reflecting a 3% year-over-year increase. As a percentage of revenues, SG&A expenses decreased 350 bps year over year.Research and development (R&D) expenses were $86.2 million, up 6.7% year over year. As a percentage of revenues, R&D expenses decreased 40 bps year over year.Operating margin was 15.7%, which expanded 530 bps on a year-over-year basis.Segment wise, operating margin from Intelligent Operating Solutions came in at 21.2%, which expanded 380 bps year over year. Precision Technologies operating margin came in at 21.4%, up 270 bps on a year-over-year.Advanced Healthcare Solutions’ operating income was $18.9 million against loss of $15.8 million in the year-ago quarter.Free Cash FlowFortive reported free cash flow of $144 million, up 50% year over year in first-quarter 2021.GuidanceFor the second quarter of 2021, Fortive expects adjusted net earnings in the range of 56-60 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is pegged at 59 cents per share.Core growth is expected between 16-19%. Adjusted operating profit is expected between roughly 19.5% and 20.5%.For 2021, Fortive expects adjusted net earnings in the range of $2.50-$2.60 per share. The consensus mark for the same is pegged at $2.75 per share.Core growth is expected between 7-10%, driven by continued strong momentum across core industrial end markets. Moreover, volume improvement of elective procedure is expected to drive Advanced Healthcare Solutions’ top-line growth.Adjusted operating profit is expected between roughly 22% and 23%.Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to ConsiderFortive currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Similar-ranked stocks in the broader technology sector are CDW Corporation CDW, Cognex CGNX and EPAM Systems EPAM. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.CDW is set to report quarterly earnings on May 5. Both Cognex and EPAM are scheduled to report the same on May 6.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Cognex Corporation (CGNX): Free Stock Analysis Report EPAM Systems, Inc. (EPAM): Free Stock Analysis Report CDW Corporation (CDW): Free Stock Analysis Report Fortive Corporation (FTV): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research