Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) Shares Acquired by First Financial Corp IN

First Financial Corp IN lifted its stake in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) by 2,880.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 298 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the quarter. First Financial Corp IN’s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $76,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Illinois Tool Works by 1,060.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Illinois Tool Works during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Illinois Tool Works in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 261.4% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 159 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.77% of the company’s stock.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance

Shares of ITW stock opened at $249.41 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $265.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $255.18. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52-week low of $232.77 and a 52-week high of $279.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.65 billion, a PE ratio of 21.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $3.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.02 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 97.06%. Illinois Tool Works’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.55 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.13 EPS for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. Illinois Tool Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on ITW. StockNews.com upgraded Illinois Tool Works from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $279.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $262.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Illinois Tool Works has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $270.11.

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.