V Square Quantitative Management LLC Takes Position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. $ITW

Key Points

• V Square Quantitative Management bought a new stake of 6,081 shares in Illinois Tool Works during Q4, valued at about $1.50 million, while institutional investors now own roughly 79.77% of the company.
• Illinois Tool Works beat Q4 expectations with $2.72 EPS (vs. $2.69 est.) and $4.09 billion revenue, and set FY2026 guidance of $11.00–$11.40 EPS versus analysts' ~10.39 estimate.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.61 per share (annualized $6.44, yield ~2.4%) payable April 9, even as insiders executed notable sales—Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 167,345 shares for about $48.7 million.

V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,081 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,498,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Corsicana & Co. acquired a new position in Illinois Tool Works during the third quarter worth $26,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Illinois Tool Works during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in Illinois Tool Works during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 341.9% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 137 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 70.5% during the third quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC now owns 162 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.77% of the company's stock.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Up 4.0%

ITW opened at $269.44 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average is $276.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.21. The company has a market cap of $77.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.69, a PEG ratio of 13.82 and a beta of 1.13. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a one year low of $215.87 and a one year high of $303.15.

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

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Illinois Tool Works news, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 167,345 shares of the business'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 sale, the director directly owned 258,766 shares in the company, valued at approximately $75,282,792.38. The trade was a 39.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Axel Beck sold 4,223 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 5,789 shares in the company, valued at $1,680,083.58. This represents 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 currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ITW shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $253.00 price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $310.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $278.00 price objective on Illinois Tool Works in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two investment 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ITW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.