How to buy Illinois Tool Works shares

Illinois Tool Works Inc (ITW) is a leading specialty industrial machinery business with stocks listed in the US. It opened the day at US$226.74 after a previous close of US$226.77. During the day the price has varied from a low of USD225.76 to a high of USD227.81. The latest price was USD225.91 (25 minute delay). Illinois Tool Works is listed on the NYSE. All prices are listed in US Dollars.

How to buy shares in Illinois Tool Works

1. Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares in a US company from Australia you'll need to find a trading platform that offers access to US stock markets. If you're just starting out, look for a platform with low brokerage and foreign exchange fees.
2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, like your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
3. Search for Illinois Tool Works. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: ITW. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment against your financial goals.
4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until Illinois Tool Works reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying at consistent intervals and amounts.
5. Decide on how many to buy. Weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of Illinois Tool Works, depending on your broker.
6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of Illinois Tool Works. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights on directors and management that can affect your stock.

Illinois Tool Works share price

Use our graph to track the performance of ITW stocks over time.

Illinois Tool Works shares at a glance

• Live prices
• Key figures

Information last updated 2021-04-22.

Open	US$226.74
High	US$227.81
Low	US$225.76
Close	US$225.91
Previous close	US$226.77
Change	US$-0.86
Change %	-0.3792%
Volume	1,061,860

Information last updated 2021-04-15.

52-week range	US$145.2822 - US$227.62
50-day moving average	US$216.6483
200-day moving average	US$206.7247
Target price	US$224.31
PE ratio	33.4268
Dividend yield	US$4.42 (2%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	US$6.63

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The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.

Is it a good time to buy Illinois Tool Works stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Technical Analysis of Illinois Tool Works Inc by TradingView

Illinois Tool Works price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the last close of $225.91

1 week (2021-04-14)	1.94%
1 month (2021-03-19)	3.30%

Is Illinois Tool Works under- or over-valued?

Valuing Illinois Tool Works stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Illinois Tool Works's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

Illinois Tool Works's P/E ratio

Illinois Tool Works's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 33x. In other words, Illinois Tool Works shares trade at around 33x recent earnings.

That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.

Illinois Tool Works's PEG ratio

Illinois Tool Works's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 2.0693. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Illinois Tool Works's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

Illinois Tool Works's EBITDA

Illinois Tool Works's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is US$3.3 billion (£2.4 billion).

The EBITDA is a measure of a Illinois Tool Works's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

Illinois Tool Works financials

Revenue TTM	US$12.6 billion
Operating margin TTM	23.02%
Gross profit TTM	US$5.2 billion
Return on assets TTM	11.8%
Return on equity TTM	67.9%
Profit margin	16.77%
Book value	10.044
Market capitalisation	US$70.1 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

Shorting Illinois Tool Works shares

There are currently 4.5 million Illinois Tool Works shares held short by investors – that's known as Illinois Tool Works's "short interest". This figure is 28% up from 3.5 million last month.

There are a few different ways that this level of interest in shorting Illinois Tool Works shares can be evaluated.

Illinois Tool Works's "short interest ratio" (SIR)

Illinois Tool Works's "short interest ratio" (SIR) is the quantity of Illinois Tool Works shares currently shorted divided by the average quantity of Illinois Tool Works shares traded daily (recently around 1.3 million). Illinois Tool Works's SIR currently stands at 3.43. In other words for every 100,000 Illinois Tool Works shares traded daily on the market, roughly 3430 shares are currently held short.

However Illinois Tool Works's short interest can also be evaluated against the total number of Illinois Tool Works shares, or, against the total number of tradable Illinois Tool Works shares (the shares that aren't held by "insiders" or major long-term shareholders – also known as the "float"). In this case Illinois Tool Works's short interest could be expressed as 0.01% of the outstanding shares (for every 100,000 Illinois Tool Works shares in existence, roughly 10 shares are currently held short) or 0.0141% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable Illinois Tool Works shares, roughly 14 shares are currently held short).

Such a low SIR usually points to an optimistic outlook for the share price, with fewer people currently willing to bet against Illinois Tool Works.

Find out more about how you can short Illinois Tool Works stock.

Illinois Tool Works's environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Illinois Tool Works.

When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.

Illinois Tool Works's total ESG risk score

Total ESG risk: 24.97

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Illinois Tool Works's overall score of 24.97 (as at 12/31/2018) is pretty good – landing it in it in the 27th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Illinois Tool Works is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

Illinois Tool Works's environmental score

Environmental score: 11.24/100

Illinois Tool Works's environmental score of 11.24 puts it squarely in the 9th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Illinois Tool Works is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Illinois Tool Works's social score

Social score: 13.29/100

Illinois Tool Works's social score of 13.29 puts it squarely in the 9th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Illinois Tool Works is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

Illinois Tool Works's governance score

Governance score: 12.95/100

Illinois Tool Works's governance score puts it squarely in the 9th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Illinois Tool Works is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Illinois Tool Works's controversy score

Controversy score: 2/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Illinois Tool Works scored a 2 out of 5 for controversy – the second-highest score possible, reflecting that Illinois Tool Works has, for the most part, managed to keep its nose clean.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary

Illinois Tool Works Inc was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.

Total ESG score	24.97
Total ESG percentile	27.46
Environmental score	11.24
Environmental score percentile	9
Social score	13.29
Social score percentile	9
Governance score	12.95
Governance score percentile	9
Level of controversy	2

Illinois Tool Works share dividends

Dividend payout ratio: 67.72% of net profits

Recently Illinois Tool Works has paid out, on average, around 67.72% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 2.06% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Illinois Tool Works shareholders could enjoy a 2.06% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Illinois Tool Works's case, that would currently equate to about $4.42 per share.

Illinois Tool Works's payout ratio would broadly be considered high, and as such this stock could appeal to those looking to generate an income. Bear in mind however that companies should normally also look to re-invest a decent amount of net profits to ensure future growth.

Illinois Tool Works's most recent dividend payout was on 13 April 2021. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 29 March 2021 (the "ex-dividend date").

Have Illinois Tool Works's shares ever split?

Illinois Tool Works's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 25 May 2006. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Illinois Tool Works shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Illinois Tool Works shares which in turn could have impacted Illinois Tool Works's share price.

Illinois Tool Works share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Illinois Tool Works's shares have ranged in value from as little as US$145.2822 up to US$227.62. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while Illinois Tool Works's is 1.1147. This would suggest that Illinois Tool Works's shares are a little bit more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a slightly higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).

Illinois Tool Works overview

Illinois Tool Works Inc. manufactures and sells industrial products and equipment worldwide. It operates through seven segments: Automotive OEM; Food Equipment; Test & Measurement and Electronics; Welding; Polymers & Fluids; Construction Products; and Specialty Products. The Automotive OEM segment offers plastic and metal components, fasteners, and assemblies for automobiles, light trucks, and other industrial uses. The Food Equipment segment provides warewashing, refrigeration, cooking, and food processing equipment; kitchen exhaust, ventilation, and pollution control systems; and food equipment maintenance and repair services. The Test & Measurement and Electronics segment produces and sells equipment, consumables, and related software for testing and measuring of materials and structures, as well as equipment and consumables used in the production of electronic subassemblies and microelectronics. The Welding segment produces arc welding equipment; and metal arc welding consumables and related accessories. The Polymers & Fluids segment produces adhesives, sealants, lubrication and cutting fluids, and fluids and polymers for auto aftermarket maintenance and appearance. The Construction Products segment offers engineered fastening systems and solutions for the residential construction, renovation/remodel, and commercial construction markets. The Specialty Products segment offers beverage packaging equipment and consumables, product coding and marking equipment and consumables, and appliance components and fasteners. It serves the automotive OEM/tiers, commercial food equipment, construction, general industrial, and automotive aftermarket end markets. The company distributes its products directly to industrial manufacturers, as well as through independent distributors. Illinois Tool Works Inc. was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Glenview, Illinois.

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of Illinois Tool Works is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 0.238% of Illinois Tool Works shares are held by insiders and 79.744% by institutions.

• When does the fiscal year end for Illinois Tool Works?

  Illinois Tool Works's fiscal year ends in December.

• Where is Illinois Tool Works based?

  Illinois Tool Works's address is: 155 Harlem Avenue, Glenview, IL, United States, 60025-4075

• What is Illinois Tool Works's ISIN number?

  Illinois Tool Works's international securities identification number is: US4523081093

• What is Illinois Tool Works's CUSIP number?

  Illinois Tool Works's Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number is: 452308109