Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $252.83.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ITW shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $237.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $252.00 to $249.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group dropped their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $269.00 to $234.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $265.00 to $253.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th.

Insider Activity at Illinois Tool Works

In other news, Director David Byron Smith, Jr. bought 872 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $241.16 per share, with a total value of $210,291.52. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 122,884 shares in the company, valued at $29,634,705.44. The trade was a 0.71% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Illinois Tool Works

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. F M Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. F M Investments LLC now owns 896 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co of the South raised its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,478 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 0.9% during the first quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 4,758 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,180,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in Illinois Tool Works by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 3,696 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $937,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Financial Advisors Inc raised its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 1.9% in the first quarter. Northern Financial Advisors Inc now owns 2,348 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $582,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.77% of the company's stock.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ITW opened at $259.71 on Monday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $247.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $249.42. The firm has a market cap of $76.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.50 and a beta of 1.09. Illinois Tool Works has a one year low of $214.66 and a one year high of $279.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.60.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.04. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 21.37% and a return on equity of 92.77%. The company had revenue of $3.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.44 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Illinois Tool Works will post 10.39 EPS for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Illinois Tool Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.77%.

Illinois Tool Works Company Profile

Illinois Tool Works Inc manufactures and sells industrial products and equipment in the United States and internationally. It operates through seven segments: Automotive OEM; Food Equipment; Test & Measurement and Electronics; Welding; Polymers & Fluids; Construction Products; and Specialty Products.

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