Gradient Investments LLC Purchases 54,756 Shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. $ITW

Gradient Investments LLC grew its position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) by 691.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 54,756 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $15,437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 4.2% in the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 988 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 1.7% during the third quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 2,574 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $671,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 4,171 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 6,605 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,733,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BLB&B Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 1,605 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $419,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on ITW shares. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Barclays boosted their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $244.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $271.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $253.00 price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $275.69.

Illinois Tool Works Price Performance

Shares of ITW opened at $257.76 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07. The stock has a market cap of $74.28 billion, a PE ratio of 24.57, a PEG ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 1.12. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 12-month low of $214.66 and a 12-month high of $303.15. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $276.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $260.61.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.69 by $0.03. Illinois Tool Works had a return on equity of 95.16% and a net margin of 19.11%.The firm had revenue of $4.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.54 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Illinois Tool Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.000-11.400 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.61 per share. This represents a $6.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Illinois Tool Works’s payout ratio is presently 61.39%.

Insider Activity at Illinois Tool Works

In related news, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 167,345 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.93, for a total value of $48,685,680.85. Following the sale, the director owned 258,766 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $75,282,792.38. The trade was a 39.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Axel Beck sold 4,223 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.22, for a total value of $1,225,599.06. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,680,083.58. The trade was a 42.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

About Illinois Tool Works

Illinois Tool Works Inc (ITW) is a diversified industrial manufacturer that designs and produces a broad array of engineered products, consumables and related service solutions for industrial customers. Its offerings span engineered fastening systems, specialty components, industrial equipment, welding products, foodservice and packaging equipment, adhesives and polymer products, and test-and-measurement technologies. These products are used as critical inputs by customers across automotive, construction, electronics, foodservice, maintenance and other industrial end markets.

The company operates a decentralized business model in which independently managed businesses focus on niche product lines and close customer relationships.