Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Trims Stake in Illinois Tool Works Inc. $ITW

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group trimmed its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 1.0% in Q4, selling 6,990 shares and now holds 671,598 shares worth about $165.4 million.
• Analyst sentiment has turned cautious — the MarketBeat consensus is a "Reduce" rating with a $270 target after several firms cut price targets and adjusted ratings.
• ITW slightly beat quarterly EPS expectations ($2.72 vs. $2.69) with revenue up 4.1%, set FY2026 guidance of $11.00–$11.40 EPS and pays a $1.61 quarterly dividend (2.4% yield), while corporate insiders have made sizable stock sales recently.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lowered its holdings in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 671,598 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,990 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.23% of Illinois Tool Works worth $165,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ITW. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 3,015 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $743,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 1.7% in the third quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 2,574 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 1,339 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.77% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on ITW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $327.00 to $303.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays lowered their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $275.00 to $250.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned 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 a consensus target price of $270.00.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE ITW opened at $270.50 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $77.93 billion, a PE ratio of 25.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.47 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.69 and a 52-week high of $303.15. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $277.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.54.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.54 EPS. The firm'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. Equities research analysts forecast that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 167,345 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.93, for a total value of $48,685,680.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 258,766 shares of the company's stock, valued at $75,282,792.38. This trade represents a 39.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Axel Beck sold 4,223 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

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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