Natixis Has $1.74 Million Stock Position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW)

Natixis lifted its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) by 61.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,866 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,607 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $1,741,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter valued at $806,291,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Illinois Tool Works in the fourth quarter worth about $203,949,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 263.9% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 903,710 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $229,269,000 after purchasing an additional 655,341 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 36,632.9% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 438,591 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $111,209,000 after purchasing an additional 437,397 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 41.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,370,254 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $358,321,000 after buying an additional 398,676 shares in the last quarter. 79.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael M. Larsen sold 41,472 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.25, for a total value of $11,249,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 50,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,698,667.50. The trade was a 45.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 70,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.30, for a total transaction of $18,431,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 260,224 shares of the company's stock, valued at $68,516,979.20. This represents a 21.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 159,925 shares of company stock valued at $42,973,845. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Illinois Tool Works Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of ITW traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $240.35. 242,234 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 997,880. The business has a fifty day moving average of $247.58 and a 200-day moving average of $257.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.12. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 1-year low of $214.66 and a 1-year high of $279.13.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.04. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 21.94% and a return on equity of 95.39%. Analysts expect that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 EPS for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Illinois Tool Works's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ITW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $259.00 to $227.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $252.00 to $240.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $269.00 to $234.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Illinois Tool Works from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Illinois Tool Works from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $257.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $260.09.

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.