Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $22.50 Million Stock Position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. $ITW

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group sharply increased its Illinois Tool Works stake by 392.6% in the fourth quarter, ending with 91,366 shares valued at about $22.5 million.
• Other institutional investors also added to their positions, and overall 79.77% of Illinois Tool Works stock is held by institutions and hedge funds.
• Illinois Tool Works reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $2.66 per share on revenue of $4.02 billion, and it declared a $1.61 quarterly dividend payable July 10, implying a 2.6% yield.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) by 392.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 91,366 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 72,817 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $22,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 1,558 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $384,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Advisory Alpha LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,814 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $693,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 4,169 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,034,000 after buying an additional 932 shares during the period. Finally, Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,503,000 after buying an additional 1,289 shares during the period. 79.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on ITW shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $284.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a report on Monday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "sell" rating and set a $254.00 price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $278.00 price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Illinois Tool Works currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $271.92.

Illinois Tool Works Price Performance

Shares of ITW opened at $252.34 on Friday. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a twelve month low of $238.82 and a twelve month high of $303.15. The firm has a market cap of $72.60 billion, a PE ratio of 23.43, a PEG ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $261.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $262.09.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.57 by $0.09. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.32% and a return on equity of 97.36%. The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Illinois Tool Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.100-11.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 11.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $1.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $6.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Illinois Tool Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.80%.

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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