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Reasons Why You Should Retain Veralto Stock in Your Portfolio Now

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Key Takeaways

  • VLTO benefits from its WQ and PQI offerings amid growing infrastructure investments and semiconductor demand.
  • VLTO has expanded its water monitoring and packaging workflow capabilities through key acquisitions.
  • VLTO boosted dividends and buybacks, but rising operating costs may pressure margins.

Veralto Corporation (VLTO - Free Report) is benefiting from strong growth in U.S. infrastructure investments and rising semiconductor demand. Its Water Quality ("WQ") and Product Quality and Innovation ("PQI") segments position VLTO as an industry leader. The company’s shareholder-friendly policies and strategic acquisitions further support long-term growth. However, competitive pressure within the industry and rising operating costs weigh on the company’s profitability.

VLTO has an encouraging earnings surprise history, having surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 4.9%.

The company’s second-quarter 2026 earnings are expected to increase 7.5% year over year. Earnings for 2026 and 2027 are projected to rise 8.4% and 9.5%, respectively, year over year. Revenues are expected to increase 6.3% in 2026 and 4.6% in 2027.

Factors That Bode Well for VLTO

Veralto’s Water Quality segment is growing by offering innovative solutions from brands such as Hach, ChemTreat and Trojan Technologies, which help customers monitor water quality, optimize water usage and improve access to clean water. Recently, the company acquired In-Situ Inc., a leading environmental water measurement and monitoring solutions provider, with a portfolio of water quality sondes, sensors and data management solutions, to expand its presence in environmental water monitoring and strengthen the capabilities of OTT HydroMet, a provider of water and weather intelligence solutions, within the water analytics platform.

Moreover, the global increase in semiconductor production enhances VLTO’s prospects, as ultra-pure water is critical for semiconductor manufacturing. While the semiconductor industry has faced recent challenges, the long-term outlook remains favorable, driven by rising demand for digital tools, artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies, which increase the need for semiconductors.

The company’s Product Quality & Innovation segment drives growth through brands such as Esko, Videojet, Linx Printing Technologies, Pantone and X-Rite. Esko enables companies to design and manage packaging using advanced software, while Videojet and Linx help manufacturers mark and code packaged goods more efficiently. Pantone sets the global color standard used by more than 10 million designers, and X-Rite helps over 13,000 brands maintain color consistency across printed packaging.

VLTO recently acquired GlobalVision, a provider of automated proofreading and quality control technology, to integrate it into the Esko business and enhance source-to-shelf digital workflow solutions with AI-augmented packaging inspections.

VLTO consistently rewards its shareholders through capital returns. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the company launched a $750 million share repurchase program and increased its quarterly dividend by 18% to 13 cents per share. In March 2026, Veralto reaffirmed this commitment by declaring another dividend of 13 cents per share, payable on April 30. The company maintains a solid track record of dividend payments, distributing $89 million in 2024 and $109 million in 2025, highlighting its shareholder-friendly capital allocation strategy.

Key Risks to Watch

Veralto faces competitive pressure from established players and new entrants in the PQI and digital workflow solution sectors. These competitors may offer similar or superior technologies at more competitive prices, limiting VLTO’s market share and growth potential.

The company’s operating expenses have steadily increased from $1.65 billion in 2022 to $1.76 billion in 2023 and $1.90 billion in 2024. This upward trend continued throughout 2025, with expenses jumping 6.4% year over year to $2.2 billion, signaling mounting cost pressures that could weigh on margins and profitability if not managed effectively.

VLTO currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). 

Stocks to Consider

A couple of better-ranked stocks in the Business Services sector are FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS - Free Report) and TransUnion (TRU - Free Report) .

FactSet Research Systems currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 6.5%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

FDS' earnings beat estimates in two of the last four reported quarters and missed twice, delivering a surprise of 0.4% on average.

TransUnion also holds a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 13.5%.

TRU's earnings beat estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 6.3%.

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