Scientific Instruments Industry Report
Market Cap: $1.2T
Stocks: 67
Median P/E: 32.4x
Median ROIC: 2.7%
Data sourced from SEC EDGAR filings. Report refreshed weekly.
Part of the Technology sector.
Performance Dashboard
| Period | Sector (MCW) | Sector (Median) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | +1.4% | +0.5% |
| 1 Week | -3.2% | -1.1% |
| 1 Month | — | — |
| 3 Months | — | — |
| 6 Months | — | — |
| YTD | +2.5% | +1.2% |
| 1 Year | +54.4% | +4.8% |
| 3 Years | +103.2% | -0.7% |
| 5 Years | +121.8% | -16.0% |
Today's Breadth: 40 advancing · 23 declining · 3 flat
Valuation Summary
| Metric | Median | P25 | P75 | vs 5Y Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 32.4x | 10.9x | 39.8x | +7% |
| P/B | 2.4x | 1.0x | 4.1x | -10% |
| P/S | 2.3x | 1.1x | 4.7x | — |
| P/FCF | 25.1x | 15.7x | 37.3x | — |
| EV/EBITDA | 22.3x | 18.3x | 26.9x | — |
| EV/EBIT | 28.1x | 25.6x | 32.3x | — |
Earnings Yield
2.8%
FCF Yield
2.3%
Below Fair Value
43% of stocks
Profitability Profile
Margins
| Metric | Median | 5Y Avg | P25 | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 48.3% | 48.5% | 39.0% | 59.3% |
| Operating Margin | 6.6% | — | -8.6% | 17.4% |
| Net Margin | 5.2% | 4.5% | -7.4% | 15.4% |
| FCF Margin | 10.1% | — | 0.8% | 17.7% |
Returns on Capital
| Metric | Median | 5Y Avg | P25 | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 0.7% | — | -19.8% | 13.4% |
| ROA | 0.1% | — | -24.4% | 7.7% |
| ROIC | 2.7% | 5.6% | -23.2% | 14.1% |
Growth Metrics
| Metric | 1Y | 3Y CAGR | 5Y CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | +4.2% | +5.1% | +6.3% |
| EPS | +9.7% | +1.5% | +6.5% |
| Free Cash Flow | +2.4% | +6.8% | +6.1% |
All values represent sector median growth rates.
Balance Sheet Health
Debt / Equity
0.3x
Net Debt / EBITDA
0.9x
Interest Coverage
6.9x
Current Ratio
2.3x
Altman Z-Score
Safe (>3): 29 (46%)
Gray (1.8–3): 14 (22%)
Distress (<1.8): 20 (32%)
Piotroski F-Score
Strong (7–9): 10 (15%)
Moderate (4–6): 37 (56%)
Weak (0–3): 19 (29%)
Top Companies
| Symbol | #▲ | Mkt Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | ROIC | Net Mgn | Rev Gr. | Div Yld | YTD | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KLAC | 1 | $236.6B | 29.1x | 22.5x | 65.5% | 33.4% | +23.9% | 0.8% | +5.1% | 7/9 |
| TMO | 2 | $194.3B | 32.7x | 24.0x | 8.8% | 15.1% | +3.9% | 0.3% | -0.7% | 2/9 |
| DHR | 3 | $140.2B | 45.6x | 25.0x | 6.1% | 14.7% | +2.9% | 0.5% | +4.8% | 4/9 |
| TER | 4 | $59.1B | 57.3x | 41.2x | 27.2% | 17.4% | +13.1% | 0.2% | +4.5% | 5/9 |
| KEYS | 5 | $57.3B | 34.6x | 28.0x | 17.1% | 15.8% | +8.0% | — | +1.6% | 6/9 |
| AME | 6 | $54.2B | 32.6x | 21.8x | 12.7% | 20.0% | +6.6% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 3/9 |
| COHR | 7 | $47.7B | — | 25.9x | 0.3% | -1.4% | +23.4% | 0.1% | +6.0% | 1/9 |
| ROK | 8 | $46.2B | 44.5x | 20.2x | 22.9% | 10.4% | +0.9% | 1.5% | -0.2% | 4/9 |
| BRKRP | 9 | $44.8B | — | 195.1x | 1.1% | -0.7% | +2.1% | 0.0% | -4.0% | 1/9 |
| ROP | 10 | $38.6B | 31.7x | 18.5x | 6.3% | 19.4% | +12.3% | 0.8% | +1.8% | 4/9 |
| A | 11 | $33.5B | 31.9x | 23.4x | 20.4% | 18.8% | +6.7% | 0.7% | -0.0% | 6/9 |
| MTD | 12 | $27.8B | 33.8x | 27.0x | 44.8% | 21.6% | +4.0% | — | +3.3% | 6/9 |
| VLTO | 13 | $22.7B | 27.0x | 18.2x | 42.2% | 17.1% | +6.0% | 0.4% | +1.4% | 4/9 |
| FTV | 14 | $20.0B | 32.2x | 19.0x | 5.7% | 13.9% | +1.9% | 0.5% | +3.4% | 3/9 |
| ILMN | 15 | $19.8B | 24.8x | 20.3x | 25.4% | 19.6% | -0.7% | — | +1.6% | 4/9 |
| WAT | 16 | $19.4B | 35.9x | 26.7x | 22.3% | 20.3% | +7.0% | — | +4.8% | 5/9 |
| MKSI | 17 | $18.4B | 37.5x | 5.6x | 7.9% | 7.5% | +9.6% | 0.5% | +7.2% | 2/9 |
| TRMB | 18 | $16.1B | 39.8x | 22.4x | 8.0% | 11.8% | -2.6% | — | +1.4% | 4/9 |
| ONTO | 19 | $12.4B | — | — | — | 13.6% | +1.8% | — | +3.7% | 3/9 |
| RVTY | 20 | $10.8B | 46.7x | 17.4x | 3.6% | 8.4% | +3.7% | 0.3% | +3.1% | 4/9 |
Industry Composition
| Industry | Stocks | Market Cap | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control | 17 | $349.9B | 29.4% | |
| Optical Instruments & Lenses | 5 | $293.3B | 24.6% | |
| Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec | 11 | $274.8B | 23.1% | |
| Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 24 | $181.1B | 15.2% | |
| Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals | 10 | $92.8B | 7.8% |
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
1.0%
Shareholder Yield
1.2%
Payout Ratio
21.7%
Div Growth (3Y)
5.7%
Div Growth (5Y)
6.0%
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
No notable strengths identified.
Weaknesses
- −[Financial Health]31.7% 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 2.7%, 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.