Illinois Tool Works Inc. $ITW Shares Sold by Vest Financial LLC

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC reduced its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 6.9% in Q4, selling 14,415 shares and ending the period with 195,003 shares worth about $48.03 million (≈0.07% of the company).
• Company insiders executed large sales: Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 167,345 shares at an average $290.93 (~$48.7M, a 39.27% reduction) and EVP Axel Beck sold 4,223 shares; insiders now own about 0.83% of ITW.
• Analysts are mixed on the stock, with an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $270 based on two Buys, seven Holds and five Sells.

Vest Financial LLC lowered its position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 195,003 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 14,415 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.07% of Illinois Tool Works worth $48,029,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 341.9% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 137 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 70.5% during the 3rd quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC now owns 162 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ITW has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $327.00 to $303.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $271.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $278.00 price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $270.00.

Insider Activity at Illinois Tool Works

In other Illinois Tool Works news, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 167,345 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 258,766 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $75,282,792.38. The trade was a 39.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Axel Beck sold 4,223 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly 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. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Illinois Tool Works Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of ITW opened at $269.93 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $272.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $261.48. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 1-year low of $228.76 and a 1-year high of $303.15. The stock has a market cap of $77.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 1.13.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) last released 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. The firm had revenue of $4.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.07 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.11% and a return on equity of 95.16%. Illinois Tool Works's revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.54 EPS. Illinois Tool Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.000-11.400 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 11.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $1.61 dividend. This represents a $6.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Illinois Tool Works's payout ratio is presently 61.39%.

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.

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