Unigestion Holding SA Buys 103,898 Shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW)

Unigestion Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) by 257.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 144,283 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 103,898 shares during the quarter. Illinois Tool Works makes up 1.8% of Unigestion Holding SA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $37,788,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ITW. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the second quarter valued at $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 1,060.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 116 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Illinois Tool Works in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Illinois Tool Works during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 79.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Illinois Tool Works Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE ITW traded down $0.71 on Wednesday, hitting $273.04. 706,567 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,039,087. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52-week low of $232.77 and a 52-week high of $279.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.70, a P/E/G ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $266.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $252.17.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $3.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.02 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a return on equity of 97.06% and a net margin of 21.66%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.55 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Illinois Tool Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ITW. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $236.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Illinois Tool Works from an "in-line" rating to an "underperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $246.00 to $255.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $255.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Illinois Tool Works from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Illinois Tool Works has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $267.90.

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.