Fortive Corporation FTV is set to report third-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Oct 26.Notably, the company has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimates for earnings in all of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 5.80%. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 2.90%.Let’s find out what Fortive has to offer investors in this quarter.Portfolio Strength, Acquisitions: Key CatalystFortive’s diverse product portfolio and expansion into the Cloud computing segment is quite encouraging. The acquisitions of eMaint Enterprises by Fortive’s subsidiary, Fluke, and the buyout of Global Traffic Technologies have allowed the company to enter into the rapidly-growing cloud computing market. Fortive Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Fortive Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Fortive Corporation QuoteWe expect strong demand for company’s products — Tektronix, Qualitrol, Thompson and Kollmorgen — to continue to drive growth in China. The company is likely to benefit from project wins by Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Qualitrol, and Morgan in the Western Europe.Further, the Tektronix 5 Series mixed-signal oscilloscope has gained significant traction since its release in June.Moreover, Fortive’s restructuring actions have been aiding the company to lower cost structure. The company has also been focusing on products which generally carry higher margins. These actions are expected to generate higher gross and operating margins for the company in the to-be reported quarter.Why a Likely Positive Surprise?Moreover, our proven model shows that Fortive is likely to beat earnings due to the favorable combination of Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and +0.69% Earnings ESP. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 or 3 (Hold) have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings estimates. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Conversely, Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement.Stocks to ConsiderHere are a few stocks which you may also consider, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter.Applied Materials Inc AMAT has an Earnings ESP of +0.37% and sports a Zacks Rank #1.NVIDIA Corporation NVDA has an Earnings ESP of +1.06% and carries a Zacks Rank #1.Kemet Corporation KEM has an Earnings ESP of +7.46% and sports a Zacks Rank #1.Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest StrategiesIt's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +18.8% from 2016 - Q1 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +157.0%, +128.0%, +97.8%, +94.7%, and +90.2% respectively.And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - Q1 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 11X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.See Them Free>>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 Kemet Corporation (KEM): Free Stock Analysis Report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA): Free Stock Analysis Report Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Free Stock Analysis Report Fortive Corporation (FTV): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research