Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) Shares Sold by VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC

VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lessened its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 103 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $380,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pensionfund Sabic lifted its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 7,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,876,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in 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 valued at $358,321,000 after purchasing an additional 398,676 shares during the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new position in Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter valued at $1,729,000. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 58,265 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,774,000 after purchasing an additional 3,227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the third quarter worth $1,179,000. 79.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE ITW opened at $264.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The business’s 50 day moving average is $257.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $258.29. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52-week low of $232.77 and a 52-week high of $279.13. The firm has a market cap of $77.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.55, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.11.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.04. Illinois Tool Works had a return on equity of 95.39% and a net margin of 21.94%. Research analysts predict that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.41 EPS for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Illinois Tool Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 70,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $68,516,979.20. This represents a 21.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Illinois Tool Works from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $266.00 to $259.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $265.00 to $262.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Illinois Tool Works presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $269.30.

About Illinois Tool Works

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.