Rathbones Group PLC Cuts Stock Position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. $ITW

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC reduced its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 29.5% in Q4, selling 6,680 shares and retaining 15,962 shares valued at about $3.93 million.
• Significant insider selling occurred: EVP Axel Beck sold 4,223 shares for roughly $1.23 million (a 42.2% reduction) and Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 167,345 shares for about $48.69 million (a 39.3% reduction).
• ITW beat Q earnings (EPS $2.72 vs. $2.69) with revenue up 4.1% to $4.09B, set FY2026 guidance of 11.00–11.40 EPS, pays a $1.61 quarterly dividend (2.5% yield), and carries an average analyst consensus of “Reduce” with a $271.85 target.

Rathbones Group PLC lessened its holdings in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) by 29.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,962 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,680 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC's holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $3,931,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ITW. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,519 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,399,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,555 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $901,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 20.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,038 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 4.2% in the 2nd 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 period. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 13,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,399,000 after acquiring an additional 713 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.77% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Illinois Tool Works

In other Illinois Tool Works news, EVP Axel Beck sold 4,223 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were 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 directly owned 5,789 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,680,083.58. This trade represents a 42.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 167,345 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.93, for a total transaction of $48,685,680.85. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance

Illinois Tool Works stock opened at $258.47 on Tuesday. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 12-month low of $214.66 and a 12-month high of $303.15. The company has a market capitalization of $74.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.82 and a beta of 1.13. 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's fifty day moving average price is $276.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $260.34.

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

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $1.61 per share. This represents a $6.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Illinois Tool Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ITW. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $270.00 to $245.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Citigroup lifted their price target 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. Robert W. Baird set a $278.00 price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wolfe Research lifted their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $310.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Illinois Tool Works currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $271.85.

Illinois Tool Works 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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