Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW.NYSE) AI OPINIONS & ADVISOR ANALYSIS
Read and compare the 14 individual AI Advisor deep-dive reports, including their forecast paths, ratings, price targets, and reasoning.
Updated on 20 September 2026Deep analysis 20 September 2026
Universal Investor AI
The Polymath FrameworkModel rating
Neutral
5-Year Return Est.
+42.9%
Includes 1.64% annual net dividend contribution
1. Investment Thesis — Base Case
The central tension is that ITW is an outstanding business priced as though rates never changed. The operating evidence is improving and corroborated — organic growthorganic growthThe rate at which a company expands revenue through internal operations rather than acquisitions.View full glossary entry reaccelerated to 4.5 percent, guidance was raised twice, orders lead revenue in welding and test and measurement, and the board upsized capital returncapital returnCash or value distributed to investors, commonly through dividends, share repurchases, or return-of-capital payments.View full glossary entry in August. Yet the shares fell ten percent from $298 to $269 on nothing company-specific, because a 3.78 percent cash yield loses to a five-percent Treasury. The base case is therefore earnings compounding fighting gradual multiple normalisation: roughly eight percent EPS growtheps growthThe percentage increase in earnings per share over a specified period.View full glossary entry against a slide from 23.5x toward twenty, producing adequate rather than exceptional returns.
- FY2026 guidance midpoint is $11.45; roughly eight percent five-year compounding implies about seventeen dollars by 2031.
- At twenty times forward earningsforward earningsEstimated future profitability used to calculate valuation multiples for investment analysis.View full glossary entry that supports a price near three hundred fifty dollars, about thirty percent above today.
- Cross-check: $77.3 billion capitalisation on $2.92 billion trailing free cash flow yieldsfree cash flow yieldsFree cash flow divided by market value, showing cash generation relative to the asset price.View full glossary entry 3.8 percent, demanding growth throughout.
Historical prices and published forecast
- Observed price
- Published advisor forecast
View chart values
| Series | Date | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Observed price | 2021-09-17 | 218 |
| Observed price | 2021-09-30 | 208 |
| Observed price | 2021-10-13 | 220 |
| Observed price | 2021-11-03 | 233 |
| Observed price | 2021-11-16 | 243 |
| Observed price | 2021-11-29 | 232 |
| Observed price | 2021-12-04 | 236 |
| Observed price | 2021-12-25 | 243 |
| Observed price | 2022-01-03 | 247 |
| Observed price | 2022-01-21 | 241 |
| Observed price | 2022-01-25 | 235 |
| Observed price | 2022-02-16 | 218 |
| Observed price | 2022-03-01 | 216 |
| Observed price | 2022-03-09 | 204 |
| Observed price | 2022-03-27 | 215 |
| Observed price | 2022-04-09 | 203 |
| Observed price | 2022-04-13 | 197 |
| Observed price | 2022-05-05 | 208 |
| Observed price | 2022-05-22 | 202 |
| Observed price | 2022-05-31 | 208 |
| Observed price | 2022-06-04 | 210 |
| Observed price | 2022-06-21 | 183 |
| Observed price | 2022-07-13 | 178 |
| Observed price | 2022-07-22 | 191 |
| Observed price | 2022-07-26 | 195 |
| Observed price | 2022-08-17 | 216 |
| Observed price | 2022-08-21 | 210 |
| Observed price | 2022-08-30 | 197 |
| Observed price | 2022-09-16 | 195 |
| Observed price | 2022-09-25 | 188 |
| Observed price | 2022-10-12 | 186 |
| Observed price | 2022-11-03 | 215 |
| Observed price | 2022-11-07 | 213 |
| Observed price | 2022-11-20 | 228 |
| Observed price | 2022-12-03 | 225 |
| Observed price | 2022-12-20 | 219 |
| Observed price | 2023-01-02 | 220 |
| Observed price | 2023-01-15 | 232 |
| Observed price | 2023-01-24 | 228 |
| Observed price | 2023-02-02 | 250 |
| Observed price | 2023-02-28 | 232 |
| Observed price | 2023-03-04 | 237 |
| Observed price | 2023-03-17 | 230 |
| Observed price | 2023-03-30 | 239 |
| Observed price | 2023-04-29 | 242 |
| Observed price | 2023-05-04 | 227 |
| Observed price | 2023-05-17 | 229 |
| Observed price | 2023-05-30 | 219 |
| Observed price | 2023-06-03 | 223 |
| Observed price | 2023-06-16 | 248 |
| Observed price | 2023-07-03 | 245 |
| Observed price | 2023-07-21 | 255 |
| Observed price | 2023-07-25 | 255 |
| Observed price | 2023-08-16 | 237 |
| Observed price | 2023-08-20 | 236 |
| Observed price | 2023-08-29 | 247 |
| Observed price | 2023-09-15 | 238 |
| Observed price | 2023-09-28 | 230 |
| Observed price | 2023-10-15 | 235 |
| Observed price | 2023-10-20 | 224 |
| Observed price | 2023-11-06 | 230 |
| Observed price | 2023-11-23 | 242 |
| Observed price | 2023-12-02 | 246 |
| Observed price | 2023-12-24 | 262 |
| Observed price | 2023-12-28 | 262 |
| Observed price | 2024-01-14 | 253 |
| Observed price | 2024-01-27 | 262 |
| Observed price | 2024-02-14 | 253 |
| Observed price | 2024-02-18 | 256 |
| Observed price | 2024-03-11 | 262 |
| Observed price | 2024-03-28 | 267 |
| Observed price | 2024-04-06 | 262 |
| Observed price | 2024-04-10 | 259 |
| Observed price | 2024-05-02 | 243 |
| Observed price | 2024-05-15 | 250 |
| Observed price | 2024-05-28 | 238 |
| Observed price | 2024-06-01 | 242 |
| Observed price | 2024-06-10 | 239 |
| Observed price | 2024-07-06 | 234 |
| Observed price | 2024-07-14 | 250 |
| Observed price | 2024-07-27 | 246 |
| Observed price | 2024-08-05 | 239 |
| Observed price | 2024-08-18 | 242 |
| Observed price | 2024-08-31 | 251 |
| Observed price | 2024-09-13 | 252 |
| Observed price | 2024-09-26 | 263 |
| Observed price | 2024-10-22 | 256 |
| Observed price | 2024-10-31 | 264 |
| Observed price | 2024-11-04 | 266 |
| Observed price | 2024-11-26 | 277 |
| Observed price | 2024-11-30 | 277 |
| Observed price | 2024-12-22 | 259 |
| Observed price | 2024-12-26 | 258 |
| Observed price | 2025-01-08 | 247 |
| Observed price | 2025-01-21 | 261 |
| Observed price | 2025-02-03 | 255 |
| Observed price | 2025-02-16 | 261 |
| Observed price | 2025-03-10 | 266 |
| Observed price | 2025-03-18 | 254 |
| Observed price | 2025-04-05 | 230 |
| Observed price | 2025-04-09 | 226 |
| Observed price | 2025-05-01 | 240 |
| Observed price | 2025-05-05 | 241 |
| Observed price | 2025-05-14 | 250 |
| Observed price | 2025-06-09 | 247 |
| Observed price | 2025-06-17 | 242 |
| Observed price | 2025-06-26 | 248 |
| Observed price | 2025-07-09 | 261 |
| Observed price | 2025-07-31 | 256 |
| Observed price | 2025-08-13 | 267 |
| Observed price | 2025-08-17 | 260 |
| Observed price | 2025-08-26 | 266 |
| Observed price | 2025-09-12 | 263 |
| Observed price | 2025-10-04 | 258 |
| Observed price | 2025-10-21 | 255 |
| Observed price | 2025-10-30 | 242 |
| Observed price | 2025-11-12 | 245 |
| Observed price | 2025-11-20 | 242 |
| Observed price | 2025-12-08 | 249 |
| Observed price | 2025-12-12 | 255 |
| Observed price | 2026-01-03 | 248 |
| Observed price | 2026-01-16 | 263 |
| Observed price | 2026-01-24 | 259 |
| Observed price | 2026-02-11 | 297 |
| Observed price | 2026-02-15 | 297 |
| Observed price | 2026-03-09 | 273 |
| Observed price | 2026-03-13 | 270 |
| Observed price | 2026-04-04 | 260 |
| Observed price | 2026-04-21 | 273 |
| Observed price | 2026-04-30 | 258 |
| Observed price | 2026-05-04 | 259 |
| Observed price | 2026-05-17 | 248 |
| Observed price | 2026-05-30 | 249 |
| Observed price | 2026-06-21 | 264 |
| Observed price | 2026-06-25 | 265 |
| Observed price | 2026-07-17 | 276 |
| Observed price | 2026-07-21 | 273 |
| Observed price | 2026-08-08 | 296 |
| Observed price | 2026-08-16 | 288 |
| Observed price | 2026-09-07 | 269 |
| Observed price | 2026-09-16 | 267 |
| Observed price | 2026-09-23 | 273 |
| Observed price | 2026-09-25 | 274 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2026-09-18 | 269 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2026-12-18 | 264 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2027-03-18 | 269 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2027-06-18 | 275 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2027-09-18 | 277 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2027-12-18 | 286 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2028-03-18 | 274 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2028-06-18 | 280 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2028-09-18 | 288 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2028-12-18 | 294 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2029-03-18 | 300 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2029-06-18 | 303 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2029-09-18 | 309 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2029-12-18 | 315 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2030-03-18 | 318 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2030-06-18 | 325 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2030-09-18 | 331 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2030-12-18 | 338 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2031-03-18 | 341 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2031-06-18 | 348 |
| Published advisor forecast | 2031-09-18 | 355 |
2. Scenarios & Signals
Bull case
The bull case requires the denominator to cooperate. If Hormuz transit and Saudi export capacity normalise, headline inflation falls toward 2.5 percent and the Fed reverses from 4.00 percent, the ten-year retreats below 3.75 percent — and every stable-cash-flow compoundercompounderA business or asset that can reinvest earnings or cash flows at attractive returns over an extended period.View full glossary entry re-rates. Layer the 30-percent margin target arriving by 2029 onto that, plus two percent annual share shrinkage, and EPS near eighteen dollars meets a 25x multiple. That combination, not either alone, delivers materially higher returns.
Bear case
The bear case activates when the energy shockenergy shockA sudden disruption or price change in energy markets that affects inflation, demand, and operating costs.View full glossary entry refuses to resolve. Brent sustained above $105 keeps the resin price-cost lag open, margins slip below the guided band, and 2027 guidance pushes the 30-percent target out. Simultaneously a five-percent-plus ten-year forces a quality de-rating toward seventeen times. Weak European automotive and North American food equipment compound the volume shortfall, decrementals bite at forty percent, and the compounderA business or asset that can reinvest earnings or cash flows at attractive returns over an extended period. narrative gives way to a cyclical multiple on falling earnings.
Current crowd narrative
The market treats ITW as a perpetual-motion machine: 80/20 discipline, 26-27 percent margins, 63 consecutive dividend increases, and a march to 30 percent by 2030. Sell-side argues about the pace of margin expansionmargin expansionAn increase in profit as a percentage of revenue.View full glossary entry, never whether it arrives. The anchoring bias is temporal — a 23.5x multiple minted in a two-to-four percent rate world, now being defended against a five-percent ten-year.
Alpha-gap assessment
The crowd modestly overestimates what these shares are worth, though not for the reason bears assume. Operationally the evidence is corroborative: organic growthThe rate at which a company expands revenue through internal operations rather than acquisitions. went 0.4 to 4.5 percent, guidance was raised twice, orders lead revenue [1][2][6]. The blind spot is the denominator. A 3.78 percent trailing free-cash-flow yield against a 4.998 percent ten-year means the investor accepts negative carry versus Treasuries and must be paid entirely by growth. Excellent business, ordinary forward return.
Convergence catalyst
The October 2026 third-quarter print is the trigger. Management's second-half margin recovery assumed falling crude-derivative input costsinput costsCosts of labor, materials, energy, components, transport, and services used to produce or deliver an offering.View full glossary entry; Brent instead rose to $103.87. The first observable sign of repricing is price-cost lag language in the release and any narrowing of the 26.5-27.5 percent margin band.
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