Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases 72,817 Shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. $ITW

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) by 392.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 91,366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 72,817 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $22,503,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ITW. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Illinois Tool Works by 1,517.9% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 390,022 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $96,062,000 after acquiring an additional 365,915 shares during the period. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec boosted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 293.0% during the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 424,547 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $110,705,000 after buying an additional 316,512 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 316.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 366,012 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $90,149,000 after buying an additional 278,085 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 161.3% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 400,152 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $104,344,000 after buying an additional 246,994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,101,383 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $517,571,000 after buying an additional 203,863 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.77% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on ITW. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $254.00 price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $278.00 price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $303.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Illinois Tool Works has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $271.92.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:ITW opened at $252.34 on Friday. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52 week low of $238.82 and a 52 week high of $303.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.19. The company’s fifty day moving average is $261.54 and its 200-day moving average is $262.09. The company has a market capitalization of $72.60 billion, a PE ratio of 23.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 1.04.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.09. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.32% and a return on equity of 97.36%. The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Illinois Tool Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.100-11.500 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 11.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $1.61 dividend. This represents a $6.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Illinois Tool Works’s payout ratio is currently 59.80%.

About Illinois Tool Works

Illinois Tool Works Inc (ITW) is a diversified industrial manufacturer that designs and produces a broad array of engineered products, consumables and related service solutions for industrial customers. Its offerings span engineered fastening systems, specialty components, industrial equipment, welding products, foodservice and packaging equipment, adhesives and polymer products, and test-and-measurement technologies. These products are used as critical inputs by customers across automotive, construction, electronics, foodservice, maintenance and other industrial end markets.

The company operates a decentralized business model in which independently managed businesses focus on niche product lines and close customer relationships.