Catalyst Financial Partners LLC Acquires 43 Shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW)

Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,767 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $463,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR lifted its position in Illinois Tool Works by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR now owns 34,489 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,034,000 after purchasing an additional 1,580 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 507,870 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $133,031,000 after acquiring an additional 9,724 shares in the last quarter. Hyman Charles D raised its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Hyman Charles D now owns 16,280 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,264,000 after acquiring an additional 962 shares in the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $740,000. Finally, Gryphon Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $263,000. 79.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance

ITW traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $247.40. 617,090 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,239,335. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.82 billion, a PE ratio of 24.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50-day moving average is $258.17 and its 200 day moving average is $252.34. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52 week low of $217.06 and a 52 week high of $271.15.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.07% and a return on equity of 97.82%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.33 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.29 EPS for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. Illinois Tool Works’s payout ratio is currently 55.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ITW has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Illinois Tool Works from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $255.00 to $244.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Bank of America downgraded shares of Illinois Tool Works from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $258.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $258.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Illinois Tool Works has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $257.78.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Randall J. Scheuneman sold 5,827 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.29, for a total transaction of $1,493,401.83. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,273,292.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CAO Randall J. Scheuneman sold 5,827 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.29, for a total value of $1,493,401.83. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,870 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,273,292.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Ernest Scott Santi sold 45,676 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.12, for a total transaction of $11,698,537.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 221,015 shares in the company, valued at $56,606,361.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 89,471 shares of company stock worth $23,248,816. 1.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.