Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) Shares Sold by YHB Investment Advisors Inc.

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,968 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 491 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $1,767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ITW. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 41.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,370,254 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $358,321,000 after purchasing an additional 398,676 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 26,088.4% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 323,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $847,610,000 after buying an additional 322,192 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 318.9% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 405,817 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $106,352,000 after buying an additional 308,935 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 2.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,292,268 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,645,972,000 after acquiring an additional 167,422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 787.3% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 186,643 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $48,945,000 after acquiring an additional 165,607 shares during the last quarter. 79.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Up 1.7 %

Illinois Tool Works stock opened at $264.37 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $263.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $256.60. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a one year low of $232.77 and a one year high of $279.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.36.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ITW. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $268.00 to $266.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI downgraded Illinois Tool Works from an “in-line” rating to an “underperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $246.00 to $255.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Barclays lowered their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $279.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $269.89.

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.