Capital Fund Management S.A. Sells 26,211 Shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW)

Capital Fund Management S.A. lowered its stake in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) by 18.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 114,188 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 26,211 shares during the period. Capital Fund Management S.A.'s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $28,954,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 910 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. F M Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. F M Investments LLC now owns 896 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 3,696 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $937,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $398,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 9,240 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,343,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.77% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Illinois Tool Works

In other Illinois Tool Works news, CFO Michael M. Larsen sold 41,472 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.25, for a total value of $11,249,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 50,502 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,698,667.50. This represents a 45.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher A. O'herlihy sold 48,453 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.36, for a total transaction of $13,293,565.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 55,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,120,802.68. This represents a 46.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 159,925 shares of company stock valued at $42,973,845. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Illinois Tool Works Price Performance

Shares of ITW stock traded down $1.97 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $231.58. 228,449 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,004,190. The stock's fifty day moving average is $251.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $258.72. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $214.66 and a fifty-two week high of $279.13. 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 company has a market cap of $67.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.12.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.54 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ITW has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI lowered 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 note on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $265.00 to $253.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $260.09.

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.