Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) Position Lifted by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC increased its holdings in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 178,803 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 11,060 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned about 0.06% of Illinois Tool Works worth $45,337,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Illinois Tool Works during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Ulland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 79.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Illinois Tool Works Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE ITW traded up $4.60 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $231.41. The stock had a trading volume of 444,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,003,797. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 1-year low of $214.66 and a 1-year high of $279.13. The company has a market capitalization of $67.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.71, a PEG ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $252.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.13.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts predict that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Illinois Tool Works's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.19%.

Insider Transactions at Illinois Tool Works

In other news, 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 transaction of $11,249,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ernest Scott Santi sold 70,000 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.30, for a total value of $18,431,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 260,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $68,516,979.20. The trade was a 21.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 159,925 shares of company stock valued at $42,973,845 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on ITW. StockNews.com cut Illinois Tool Works from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $252.00 to $240.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Illinois Tool Works from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $257.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $269.00 to $234.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $264.09.

About Illinois Tool Works

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.