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E. Scott Santi, a director at Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW), a prominent player in the machinery industry with a market capitalization of $77.14 billion and a perfect Piotroski Score of 9 according to InvestingPro, executed significant stock transactions on February 20, 2025. Santi sold a total of 73,453 shares of common stock, generating approximately $19.4 million. The sales were conducted at prices ranging from $263.60 to $265.44 per share.
In addition to the sales, Santi also exercised employee stock options to acquire 73,453 shares at $163.36 per share, with a total value of approximately $11.9 million. Following these transactions, Santi holds 260,223.84 shares directly, which includes deferred stock under the company’s Directors’ Deferred Fee Plan. For comprehensive insider trading analysis and 10+ additional ProTips about ITW, visit InvestingPro.
In other recent news, Illinois Tool Works reported its fourth-quarter earnings, with earnings per share (EPS) of $2.54, slightly surpassing the consensus estimate of $2.50. However, the company’s revenue for the quarter was $3.93 billion, falling short of the expected $3.99 billion. The company also provided its full-year 2025 earnings guidance, projecting an EPS range of $10.15 to $10.55, which is below the analyst consensus of $10.67. Truist Securities adjusted its outlook on Illinois Tool Works, lowering the price target to $302 from $318 while maintaining a Buy rating. Despite a record operating margin of 26.2% in the fourth quarter and a 10% increase in free cash flow, the revenue shortfall has drawn negative reactions from the market. Illinois Tool Works experienced a 0.5% decline in organic growth, though it was positive when excluding Product Line Simplification reductions. For 2025, the company forecasts organic growth of 0 to 2%, with operating margins expected to improve to between 26.5% and 27.5%. The company plans to repurchase approximately $1.5 billion of its own shares as part of its shareholder return strategy.
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