Scientific Instruments Industry Report
Market Cap: $1.1T
Stocks: 67
Median P/E: 25.9x
Median ROIC: 4.7%
Data sourced from SEC EDGAR filings. Report refreshed weekly.
Part of the Technology sector.
Performance Dashboard
| Period | Sector (MCW) | Sector (Median) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | +2.7% | +0.3% |
| 1 Week | -3.3% | -1.1% |
| 1 Month | — | — |
| 3 Months | — | — |
| 6 Months | — | — |
| YTD | +1.9% | +2.3% |
| 1 Year | +73.5% | +27.3% |
| 3 Years | +75.1% | +11.8% |
| 5 Years | +61.9% | -17.9% |
Today's Breadth: 36 advancing · 30 declining · 0 flat
Valuation Summary
| Metric | Median | P25 | P75 | vs 5Y Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 25.9x | 0.0x | 36.7x | -4% |
| P/B | 2.1x | 0.0x | 4.1x | -17% |
| P/S | 2.0x | 0.0x | 4.6x | — |
| P/FCF | 22.8x | 12.6x | 35.7x | — |
| EV/EBITDA | 21.9x | 17.6x | 24.9x | — |
| EV/EBIT | 28.1x | 25.6x | 32.3x | — |
Earnings Yield
2.8%
FCF Yield
2.9%
Below Fair Value
34% of stocks
Profitability Profile
Margins
| Metric | Median | 5Y Avg | P25 | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 48.5% | 49.5% | 38.4% | 58.8% |
| Operating Margin | 6.6% | — | -6.9% | 17.4% |
| Net Margin | 5.0% | 4.4% | -7.8% | 15.0% |
| FCF Margin | 9.7% | — | 0.7% | 17.6% |
Returns on Capital
| Metric | Median | 5Y Avg | P25 | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 1.7% | — | -16.7% | 13.0% |
| ROA | 0.7% | — | -13.6% | 7.7% |
| ROIC | 4.7% | 5.6% | -7.5% | 13.7% |
Growth Metrics
| Metric | 1Y | 3Y CAGR | 5Y CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | +4.5% | +2.9% | +6.9% |
| EPS | +8.6% | -2.1% | +3.7% |
| Free Cash Flow | +6.9% | +6.8% | +4.9% |
All values represent sector median growth rates.
Balance Sheet Health
Debt / Equity
0.3x
Net Debt / EBITDA
0.9x
Interest Coverage
6.4x
Current Ratio
2.3x
Altman Z-Score
Safe (>3): 29 (47%)
Gray (1.8–3): 12 (19%)
Distress (<1.8): 21 (34%)
Piotroski F-Score
Strong (7–9): 11 (17%)
Moderate (4–6): 36 (55%)
Weak (0–3): 19 (29%)
Top Companies
| Symbol | #▲ | Mkt Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | ROIC | Net Mgn | Rev Gr. | Div Yld | YTD | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TMO | 1 | $197.8B | 32.7x | 24.0x | 7.7% | 15.1% | +3.9% | 0.3% | +6.1% | 3/9 |
| DHR | 2 | $141.6B | 45.6x | 25.0x | 6.1% | 14.7% | +2.9% | 0.5% | +6.0% | 4/9 |
| BRKRP | 3 | $67.2B | — | 195.1x | 1.0% | -0.7% | +2.1% | 0.0% | +16.2% | 1/9 |
| TER | 4 | $58.9B | 57.3x | 40.3x | 22.7% | 17.4% | +13.1% | 0.2% | -6.5% | 5/9 |
| KEYS | 5 | $54.3B | 34.6x | 24.7x | 12.1% | 15.8% | +8.0% | — | -5.9% | 6/9 |
| AME | 6 | $54.3B | 32.6x | 21.8x | 13.3% | 20.0% | +6.6% | 0.6% | -2.5% | 3/9 |
| ROK | 7 | $53.3B | 44.5x | 20.2x | 21.8% | 10.4% | +0.9% | 1.5% | -3.7% | 4/9 |
| COHR | 8 | $51.6B | — | 25.9x | 0.3% | -1.4% | +23.4% | 0.1% | -7.8% | 0/9 |
| ROP | 9 | $39.4B | 31.7x | 18.5x | 6.4% | 19.4% | +12.3% | 0.8% | +2.0% | 5/9 |
| A | 10 | $37.3B | 31.9x | 23.4x | 16.5% | 18.8% | +6.7% | 0.7% | +4.1% | 5/9 |
| KLAC | 11 | $31.5B | 29.1x | 22.5x | 64.7% | 33.4% | +23.9% | 0.8% | -10.7% | 7/9 |
| ILMN | 12 | $29.4B | 24.8x | 20.3x | 25.4% | 19.6% | -0.7% | — | +8.5% | 4/9 |
| MTD | 13 | $27.0B | 33.8x | 26.3x | 35.8% | 21.6% | +4.0% | — | +3.4% | 6/9 |
| MKSI | 14 | $24.7B | 37.5x | 16.7x | 7.9% | 7.5% | +9.6% | 0.5% | -9.3% | 1/9 |
| VLTO | 15 | $23.1B | 27.0x | 18.2x | 28.1% | 17.1% | +6.0% | 0.4% | +4.1% | 4/9 |
| WAT | 16 | $22.7B | 35.9x | 23.5x | 21.9% | 20.3% | +7.0% | — | +3.0% | 5/9 |
| FTV | 17 | $21.0B | 32.2x | 19.0x | 5.8% | 13.9% | +1.9% | 0.5% | -2.1% | 3/9 |
| ONTO | 18 | $15.1B | — | — | 7.6% | 13.6% | +1.8% | — | -7.4% | 2/9 |
| RVTY | 19 | $13.3B | 46.7x | 17.4x | 3.3% | 8.4% | +3.7% | 0.3% | +6.7% | 4/9 |
| TRMB | 20 | $12.8B | 39.8x | 22.4x | 7.4% | 11.8% | -2.6% | — | +1.9% | 4/9 |
Industry Composition
| Industry | Stocks | Market Cap | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control | 17 | $362.2B | 34.2% | |
| Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec | 11 | $284.3B | 26.8% | |
| Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 24 | $229.3B | 21.6% | |
| Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals | 10 | $94.0B | 8.9% | |
| Optical Instruments & Lenses | 5 | $90.5B | 8.5% |
Quality Distribution
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Quality Score (0-9)
High Quality (7+)
3%
Median Piotroski F
5/9
Profitable Years
6 of 10
Dividends & Shareholder Returns
Paying Dividends
31%
Median Div Yield
0.5%
Median Buyback Yield
0.8%
Shareholder Yield
0.8%
Payout Ratio
20.9%
Div Growth (3Y)
3.3%
Div Growth (5Y)
1.9%
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
No notable strengths identified.
Weaknesses
- −[Financial Health]33.9% of companies fall in the Altman Z-Score distress zone (<1.8), indicating elevated bankruptcy risk within the sector.
- −[Profitability]Below-average capital returns with a median ROIC of 4.7%, suggesting limited pricing power or capital-intensive operations.
- −[Quality]Only 3.0% of companies score 7+ on the quality checklist, reflecting structural challenges in achieving consistent returns across the sector.