Values Added Financial LLC Invests $269,000 in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW)

Values Added Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,059 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ITW. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 118,274 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,343,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Aljian Capital Management LLC grew its position in Illinois Tool Works by 169.6% in the fourth quarter. Aljian Capital Management LLC now owns 10,890 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,761,000 after purchasing an additional 6,851 shares in the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC grew its position in Illinois Tool Works by 21.7% in the fourth quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,297 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC grew its position in Illinois Tool Works by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 9,398 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,383,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Consolidated Planning Corp lifted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 43.9% in the fourth quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 2,004 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $508,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. 79.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ITW shares. Evercore ISI cut shares of Illinois Tool Works from an "in-line" rating to an "underperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $246.00 to $255.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $255.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Illinois Tool Works from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $279.00 to $265.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $271.00.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ITW traded up $3.92 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $262.03. The company had a trading volume of 817,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 974,406. The company's 50 day moving average price is $257.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $257.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The stock has a market cap of $77.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.36, a P/E/G ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 1.11. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52-week low of $232.77 and a 52-week high of $279.13.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 21.94% and a return on equity of 95.39%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Illinois Tool Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.19%.

Illinois Tool Works 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.