Illinois Tool Works Inc. $ITW Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors trimmed its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 5.2% in Q3, selling 10,703 shares and leaving it with 196,897 shares valued at about $51.34 million.
• Insider selling included Director Ernest Scott Santi disposing of 167,345 shares at an average $290.93 (≈$48.7 million), a 39.27% reduction in his ownership, and EVP Axel Beck also sold shares.
• Illinois Tool Works beat quarterly EPS expectations ($2.72 vs. $2.69), provided FY2026 guidance of 11.00–11.40 EPS, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.61 ($6.44 annual, ~2.4% yield).

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its holdings in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 196,897 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 10,703 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.07% of Illinois Tool Works worth $51,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 128.4% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,128 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,380,000 after buying an additional 5,131 shares in the last quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 411.8% during the third quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 87,875 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $22,914,000 after acquiring an additional 70,704 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 10.4% during the third quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 103,161 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,964,000 after acquiring an additional 9,738 shares during the last quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 1,328.6% during the third quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,929 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,632,000 after acquiring an additional 12,954 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Davis Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the third quarter worth about $1,162,000. 79.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Illinois Tool Works Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE ITW opened at $271.60 on Thursday. 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's 50 day moving average price is $274.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $260.68. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52-week low of $214.66 and a 52-week high of $303.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.89, a PEG ratio of 14.63 and a beta of 1.13.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $4.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.54 EPS. The business's revenue 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $1.61 dividend. This represents a $6.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Illinois Tool Works's payout ratio is currently 61.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Illinois Tool Works

In other Illinois Tool Works news, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 167,345 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.93, for a total transaction of $48,685,680.85. Following the sale, the director directly owned 258,766 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $75,282,792.38. This represents a 39.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Axel Beck sold 4,223 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.22, for a total transaction of $1,225,599.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,789 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on ITW shares. Truist Financial increased their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wolfe Research upped their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $310.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Illinois Tool Works has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $275.69.

Illinois Tool Works Company Profile

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.

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