Valeo Financial Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW)

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,147 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ITW. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 41.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,370,254 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $358,321,000 after acquiring an additional 398,676 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 26,088.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 323,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $847,610,000 after buying an additional 322,192 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 318.9% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 405,817 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $106,352,000 after buying an additional 308,935 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,292,268 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,645,972,000 after buying an additional 167,422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 787.3% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 186,643 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $48,945,000 after buying an additional 165,607 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.77% of the company’s stock.

Illinois Tool Works Trading Down 0.8 %

ITW stock opened at $257.98 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $76.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.01, a PEG ratio of 4.79 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 1.90. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $258.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $257.71. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52 week low of $232.77 and a 52 week high of $279.13.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.04. Illinois Tool Works had a return on equity of 95.39% and a net margin of 21.94%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.38 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. Illinois Tool Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ITW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Illinois Tool Works from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $266.00 to $259.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $265.00 to $262.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $255.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Illinois Tool Works currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $271.00.

Illinois Tool Works 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.