Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) Shares Acquired by APG Asset Management N.V.

APG Asset Management N.V. increased its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) by 963.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 162,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 147,401 shares during the quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. owned 0.06% of Illinois Tool Works worth $39,840,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ITW. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Ulland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 79.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ITW traded up $0.95 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $233.27. The company had a trading volume of 232,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,147,030. The stock has a market cap of $68.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.12. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $252.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $258.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 12 month low of $214.66 and a 12 month high of $279.13.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.04. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 21.94% and a return on equity of 95.39%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Illinois Tool Works's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 shares were sold at an average price of $263.30, for a total transaction 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Michael M. Larsen sold 41,472 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.25, for a total transaction of $11,249,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 50,502 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,698,667.50. This trade represents a 45.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 159,925 shares of company stock worth $42,973,845. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ITW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Illinois Tool Works from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $279.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $259.00 to $227.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $252.00 to $240.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Two investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $261.18.

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.