Van Strum & Towne Inc. Buys 500 Shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW)

Van Strum & Towne Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) by 45.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,590 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $403,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd boosted its position in Illinois Tool Works by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd now owns 1,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. increased its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. now owns 30,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,666,000 after purchasing an additional 908 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 2,885 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $732,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. LBP AM SA acquired a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the fourth quarter worth $4,125,000. Finally, Integras Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,499,000. Institutional investors own 79.77% of the company’s stock.

Illinois Tool Works Price Performance

ITW stock opened at $254.72 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $74.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.13. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52 week low of $232.77 and a 52 week high of $279.13. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $257.83 and its 200 day moving average is $260.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) last posted its earnings results 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 10.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. Illinois Tool Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.19%.

Insider Activity at Illinois Tool Works

In other Illinois Tool Works news, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 70,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 260,224 shares in the company, valued at $68,516,979.20. The trade was a 21.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael M. Larsen sold 41,472 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $13,698,667.50. This trade represents a 45.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 159,925 shares of company stock valued at $42,973,845. 0.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Illinois Tool Works from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $257.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $312.00 to $318.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays set a $260.00 price objective on Illinois Tool Works and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $266.00 to $259.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $269.10.

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.