CWS Financial Advisors LLC Buys 239 Shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW)

CWS Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) by 14.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,872 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $475,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 10,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,572,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $447,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $260,000. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,007 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,016,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,569 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $398,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ITW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays cut their price objective 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. Citigroup dropped their target price 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, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $255.00 to $252.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $269.30.

Insider Activity at Illinois Tool Works

In other news, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 70,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 260,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $68,516,979.20. This trade represents a 21.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Illinois Tool Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ITW opened at $261.24 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $76.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.29, a PEG ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $256.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $258.73. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a one year low of $232.77 and a one year high of $279.13.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.04. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 21.94% and a return on equity of 95.39%. Research analysts predict that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Illinois Tool Works’s payout ratio is 51.19%.

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.