Rep. Bruce Westerman Buys Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) Shares

Representative Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas) recently bought shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW). In a filing disclosed on May 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Illinois Tool Works stock on April 8th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “FISHER IRA” account.

Representative Bruce Westerman also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of UniCredit (OTCMKTS:UNCRY) on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Siemens Aktiengesellschaft (OTCMKTS:SIEGY) on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GSK (NYSE:GSK) on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) on 4/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Chevron (NYSE:CVX) on 4/21/2025.

Illinois Tool Works Price Performance

Shares of ITW opened at $249.77 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $242.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $255.80. The stock has a market cap of $73.18 billion, a PE ratio of 21.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.12. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 1-year low of $214.66 and a 1-year 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.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.34 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.83 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a return on equity of 95.39% and a net margin of 21.94%. The business’s revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.44 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 EPS for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. Illinois Tool Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ITW shares. Bank of America cut shares of Illinois Tool Works from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $220.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Illinois Tool Works from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $257.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com lowered Illinois Tool Works from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $240.00 to $237.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Three 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $253.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Illinois Tool Works

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ITW. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Illinois Tool Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. von Borstel & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Illinois Tool Works during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael M. Larsen sold 41,472 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.25, for a total transaction of $11,249,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 50,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,698,667.50. The trade was a 45.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher A. O’herlihy sold 48,453 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 55,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,120,802.68. The trade was a 46.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 159,925 shares of company stock valued at $42,973,845 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Westerman

Bruce Westerman (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Westerman (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Westerman earned his BSBAGE in biological and agricultural engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1990 and his MF in forestry from Yale University in 2001. His professional experience includes working as a plant engineer for Riceland Foods and an engineer/forester for Mid-South Engineering Company.

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.