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Quote this valuation with its source: Fair value, Potential value and the price at analysis.
FAQ
ITW — frequently asked questions
Is Illinois Tool Works Inc. overvalued?
In our latest published analysis dated 2026-10-03, ITW looks meaningfully overvalued. The price recorded at analysis is 263 USD versus our fair value of 195 USD; the high endpoint is presented separately as potential value of 223 USD. That implies roughly 25.8% downside to fair value at that date.
Our latest published report, analyzed 2026-10-03, gives ITW a fair value of 195 USD and a potential value of 223 USD. The conclusion is triangulated across multiple valuation models and weighted by reliability for Illinois Tool Works Inc.'s archetype; it is a dated research output, not a live price.
Should I buy ITW now?
Our latest published rating for ITW, analyzed 2026-10-03, is Sell. Illinois Tool Works Inc. looks meaningfully overvalued at the analysis-date price of 263 USD versus fair value of 195 USD; potential value is 223 USD. This is research for educational purposes, not personalized investment advice.
What are the biggest risks for ITW?
The dedicated bear-case section in our report analyzed 2026-10-03 documents Illinois Tool Works Inc.'s material risks, evidence, thresholds, and thesis-invalidation conditions. Scenario-specific explanations remain in that section so the report does not repeat or decontextualize them elsewhere.
What is ITW's rating?
Our latest published rating for ITW, analyzed 2026-10-03, is Sell, with a published moat assessment of 9/10 (Wide). It reflects our fair value of 195 USD, the potential value of 223 USD, and the price recorded at analysis (263 USD).
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§1 Resumen ejecutivoEN
Respuesta en 30 segundosSell
Precio frente a valor
Precio
$262.92
Valor razonable
$195.02
Valor potencial
$222.75
A fecha de
2026-10-02
Por qué puede funcionar
Accelerated adoption of Customer-Back Innovation (CBI) proprietary products and broad-based industrial recovery lifting second-half organic growth above guided 4.5%.
Qué cambiaría nuestra opinión
Consolidated operating margin dropping below 23.5% over the next 12 months.
Illinois Tool Works Inc. is rated Sell with a fair value of $195.02 per share, representing 25.8% downside from the market price of $262.92 as of October 2, 2026,,. While ITW exhibits premier operational quality with a 26.3% operating margin and free cash flow conversion exceeding 100% of net income, current trading multiples of 21.93x forward earnings leave no margin of safety against cyclical moderation in automotive and European industrial end markets.4
Illinois Tool Works Inc. presents a compelling case of an elite operational performer whose equity valuation has detached from underlying fundamental cash generation. Trading at $262.92 as of October 2, 2026, shares carry a forward price-to-earnings multiple of 21.93x. This valuation represents a substantial premium against mature diversified industrial peers such as Cummins Inc. trading at 15.28x forward earnings and United Parcel Service at 11.53x. Discounted at a 9.26% cost of equity and a normalized exit multiple of 18.5x, our synthesized fair value sits at $195.02 per share, establishing an implied downside of -25.8% (or a 34.8% premium in current trading). This wide valuation gap underpins our Sell recommendation.2,3,4
Operationally, ITW operates at peak industrial efficiency driven by its proprietary 80/20 Front-to-Back business model. In FY2025, consolidated revenue totaled $16,044 million with operating income of $4,216 million, translating to an operating margin of 26.3%. This performance leads the diversified industrial machinery sector median of 16.1% by over 1,000 basis points, and substantially outpaces peers like Cummins at 11.9% and Honeywell at 20.2%. Enterprise initiatives consistently deliver more than 100 basis points of annual structural margin expansion, contributing 120 basis points in the second quarter of 2026. Management has established a long-term goal of exceeding 30% enterprise operating margin by 2030, supported by 40% full-year incremental margins.3,5,7
Cash conversion remains a cornerstone of the business model. In FY2025, capital expenditures were restrained to $419 million, or just 2.61% of revenue, well below the broader industry capex-to-revenue benchmark of 4.1%. This asset-light structure allowed operating cash flow of $3,126 million to translate into $2,707 million in free cash flow. Management projects full-year 2026 free cash flow conversion to exceed 100% of net income. These robust cash flows support disciplined capital return, featuring an unbroken 50-plus year dividend growth record and approximately $1.5 billion in annual share repurchases, reducing outstanding shares to 284.8 million as of October 3, 2026.4,5,6,7
Despite these formidable strengths, top-line compounding has remained muted, with a 5-year revenue CAGR of just 0.23%. For FY2026, management raised organic revenue growthguidance to 3.0% to 4.0% (3.5% midpoint), implying a second-half acceleration to 4.5%. However, significant cyclical exposure persists across Automotive OEM ($3,288 million revenue and $693 million operating profit in FY2025), and EMEA ($4,162 million, or 25.9% of consolidated sales). Any macroeconomic deceleration across European manufacturing or global vehicle builds threatens the aggressive second-half acceleration assumed by consensus estimates of $16,830 million, leaving current elevated valuation multiples vulnerable to de-rating.1,5,8
Proprietary 80/20 Front-to-Back Operating System
ITW systematically focuses resources on the top 20% of customers and products that drive 80% of revenue and operating profit, pruning low-margin operational complexity and generating over 100 basis points of annual structural margin savings,.5
Consolidated operating margin of 26.3% in FY2025 on $4,216 million in operating profit significantly outpaces the machinery industry median of 16.1%, supported by customer-back co-engineered solutions with high switching costs.7
Disciplined capacity balancing maintains low capital requirements ($419 million in FY2025 capex, or 2.61% of sales), enabling free cash flow conversion exceeding 100% of net income and $2,707 million in FY2025 FCF.5,6,7
Recomendación de la casa
Sell. Illinois Tool Works trades at $262.92 as of October 2, 2026, a 34.8% premium over our fair value midpoint of $195.02, implying a negative return of -25.8%. The investment committee assigns a Sell rating. Despite world-class 80/20 operational execution, high returns on capital, and $1.5 billion in annual buybacks, the stock offers unfavorable risk-adjusted return potential relative to a 9.26% cost of equity.2,4,5
Descripción general de la empresa
Illinois Tool Works Inc. is a diversified global manufacturer of highly engineered components, specialized industrial equipment, and consumable systems founded in 1912. The company operates through seven reportable business segments: Automotive OEM ($3,288 million revenue, $693 million operating profit in FY2025),; Test & Measurement and Electronics ($2,825 million revenue, $694 million operating profit),; Food Equipment ($2,699 million revenue, $753 million operating profit),; Welding ($1,890 million revenue, $621 million operating profit),; Construction Products ($1,820 million revenue, $550 million operating profit),; Specialty Products ($1,775 million revenue, $553 million operating profit),; and Polymers & Fluids ($1,765 million revenue, $493 million operating profit),.
Geographically, ITW's operations are well balanced across major global economic regions. In FY2025, North America represented the largest territory with $8,480 million in revenue (52.9% of consolidated total), comprising $7,395 million from the United States (46.1%) and $1,085 million from Canada and Mexico (6.8%),,. EMEA contributed $4,162 million (25.9%), Asia Pacific generated $3,079 million (19.2%), and South America added $323 million (2.0%). The company serves a highly diversified customer base across commercial, industrial, automotive, and infrastructure end markets using a decentralized local-for-local manufacturing architecture.
§2 Caso bajistaEN
In this stress test, cyclical downturns simultaneously hit ITW's two most exposed areas: EMEA ($4,162M FY2025 revenue) and Automotive OEM ($3,288M FY2025 revenue). Organic revenue contracts, while decremental margins of 40% compress enterprise operating margin toward 23.5%. Simultaneously, long-term interest rates lift the cost of equity to 10.25%. Under these conditions, annual EPS drops toward $10.00-$10.50, and valuation falls toward the lower fair value boundary of $164.35, illustrating substantial downside risk from current trading levels of $262.92.
In this downside path, persistent European industrial contraction and slowing automotive build rates restrict revenue compounding. Operating leverage turns negative, holding enterprise operating margins flat despite internal operational improvements. While free cash flow supports baseline commitments, earnings deceleration prompts valuation multiple contraction toward peer benchmarks.
Cómo puede fallar esta tesis
Automotive OEM Cyclical Contraction and Margin Squeeze
Automotive OEM is ITW's largest segment, generating $3,288M in revenue and $693M in operating income in FY2025,. A global automotive production slowdown combined with tier-1 customer pricing pushback would compress segment margins toward machinery peer levels such as CMI's 11.90%, driving enterprise operating margins below the 23.5% trigger level and reducing fair value by an estimated 24.5%.3,8
FV impact
Señales de alerta temprana a vigilar
Los cinco acontecimientos que debilitarían nuestra tesis de inversión.
Operating margin dropping below the low end of guided 26.5% to 27.5% signals that enterprise 80/20 initiatives (>100 bps target) are failing to offset input cost inflation or decremental volume deleverage.
Actual:26.28%
Alerta si< 26.50%
02
§3 Foso competitivoEN
Wide
Illinois Tool Works maintains a Wide economic moat supported by switching costs in mission-critical engineered components, proprietary Customer-Back Innovation (CBI) intellectual property, and a proprietary 80/20 Front-to-Back operating system. The company's ROIC of 27.89% dramatically exceeds both the computed WACC of 8.7107% and cost of equity of 9.2554%, justifying a 10-year competitive advantage horizon.
The core moat advantage stems from decentralized specialization across seven reportable segments. In Automotive OEM ($3,288M FY2025 revenue) and Test & Measurement and Electronics ($2,825M FY2025 revenue), ITW engineers highly specialized components that represent minimal overall system cost but high operational consequence, discouraging customer switching. Simultaneously, enterprise 80/20 initiatives continually prune low-value complexity, providing over 100 basis points of annual structural margin improvement.
This operational differentiation produces enterprise operating margins of 26.28% in FY2025, expanding toward the guided 26.5% to 27.5% range for FY2026. This profitability profile stands far above diversified machinery peers such as CMI at 11.90%, UPS at 9.05%, HON at 20.25%, and ROK at 20.97%, as well as the broader machinery industry benchmark of 16.10%.
The durability of ITW's moat is reinforced by global local-for-local manufacturing, where operations in North America ($8,480M FY2025 revenue), EMEA ($4,162M), and Asia Pacific ($3,079M) insulate supply lines from tariff shocks,,. While temporary price/cost lags dilute margins by 40 bps in inflationary quarters, regular contract resets restore full-year incremental margins toward 40%.
Beneficio económico
Returns on invested capital of 27.89% substantially exceed both the computed cost of equity of 9.2554% and computed WACC of 8.7107%, generating an economic spread exceeding 1,900 basis points across business cycles.2
9/ 10
Wide
Sources of advantage
01Switching Costs in Mission-Critical Engineered Products — Mission-critical engineered fasteners, specialized mechanical components, and testing systems represent a small fraction of customer bill-of-materials but carry high failure risk, locking in relationships across Automotive OEM ($3,288M FY2025 revenue) and Test & Measurement ($2,825M FY2025 revenue).Wide
02Proprietary 80/20 Process Cost Advantage — Proprietary 80/20 Front-to-Back process architecture focuses manufacturing cells on high-margin core volume, delivering >100 bps in annual structural operating savings, and maintaining operating margins of 26.28% against an industry benchmark of 16.10%.Wide
Amenazas conocidas al foso
Amenaza
Severidad
Cronograma
Mitigación
Automotive OEM cyclical volume contraction and OEM pricing concessions amid electric vehicle platform redesigns.
medium
12 to 24 months
Customer-Back Innovation co-designs EV and hybrid-specific components, enabling ITW Automotive OEM to target 200 to 300 bps outgrowth over underlying build rates.5
The highlighted cell is Fair value when every assumption sits at its base level ($195.02). Each row and column shows what Fair value becomes when one assumption moves.
Free cash flow to the firm stays positive in the first projected year at $2.9B after modeled reinvestment of $515.7M, with terminal value at 79.7% of enterprise value. A sudden drop in free cash flow is not projected unless capital spending relative to revenue, reinvestment, or gross margin resets materially.
Effective operating tax rate aligns with guided operational expectations5
Annual share repurchases proceed in line with guided capital return plans5
Under the base path, ITW delivers disciplined operational execution across operating segments. Free cash flow conversion exceeds guided benchmarks, supporting dividend compounding and regular share repurchases. Discounted at the house cost of equity with normalized terminal valuation multiples, this yields the central Fair value of $195.02.2,5
Consolidated organic revenue growth accelerates meaningfully above guided expectations across all operating segments5
§7 Árbol de decisión de resultadosEN
Superado
Upgrade the rating; Re-examine operating margin run-rates across Automotive OEM and Welding, verify whether incremental margins exceeded guided expectations, and pause portfolio trimming until updated multi-year volume visibility is established.
An operational upside surprise exceeding guidance would demonstrate accelerated Customer-Back Innovation market share gains and operating margin expansion, closing the gap toward Potential value of $222.75.
En línea
Maintain Sell; Maintain disciplined liquidation schedule, using quarterly liquidity windows to redeploy capital into higher-yielding opportunities with attractive margins of safety.
Results meeting guidance midpoints confirm steady operational execution but leave $262.92 trading well above Fair value of $195.02.
Fallo
Maintain Sell; Accelerate remaining divestment, conduct review on end-market decremental margins, and reallocate capital away from exposed cyclical industrial holdings.
A guidance miss would confirm that cyclical headwinds in European manufacturing and automotive build rates are overwhelming operational cost initiatives, accelerating valuation multiple contraction toward peer machinery averages.
In FY2025, ITW generated $3,126M in cash flow from operations and invested $419M in capital expenditures (2.61% of revenue), resulting in $2,707M of free cash flow. Stock-based compensation was modest at $69M. Management's guidance for full-year free cash flow conversion to exceed 100% of net income is supported by an asset-light operating model where maintenance capex is estimated at $356M (85% of total capex). True distributable owner earnings reached $3,107M ($10.91 per share). This consistent cash generation easily supports the $1.5B annual share repurchase program and ongoing dividend distributions without stressing the balance sheet.
ITW's wide economic profit spread is sustained by high capital turnover and disciplined capacity management under the 80/20 operating model. Because maintenance capex is only $356M (85% of $419M total capex), invested capital remains lean relative to operating profit of $4,216M, preserving superior returns through industrial cycles.
ROIC of 27.89% dramatically exceeds computed WACC of 8.7107% and cost of equity of 9.2554%, generating an economic profit spread exceeding 1,900 basis points.
Ingresos más recientes16 mil M US$CAGR de ingresos +1,9 %
Margen operativo26,3 %10 periodos fiscales
Flujo de caja libre más reciente2707 M US$FY2025
Deuda neta6831 M US$FY2025
Desglose de la cuenta de resultadosCómo la escala del negocio se convierte en beneficio declarado.30 jun 2026
StockMarketAgent.AI
Ingresos4301 M US$Coste de ventas−2403 M US$Beneficio bruto1898 M US$Gastos operativos−751 M US$Beneficio operativo1147 M US$Partidas no operativas e impuestos−332 M US$Beneficio neto815 M US$
Datos del historial financiero
Ingresos
4.301.000.000 US$
Coste de ventas
2.403.000.000 US$
Beneficio bruto
1.898.000.000 US$
Gastos operativos
751.000.000 US$
Beneficio operativo
1.147.000.000 US$
Partidas no operativas e impuestos
-332.000.000 US$
Beneficio neto
815.000.000 US$
Resumen del balanceCómo se mantienen y financian los activos declarados en el período seleccionado.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Composición de activosFinanciado por
Activos totales16,1 mil M US$Efectivo851 M US$Activos corrientes6200 M US$Pasivos totales12,9 mil M US$Pasivos corrientes5126 M US$Patrimonio neto3226 M US$
Datos del desglose del balance
Activos totales
16.148.000.000 US$
Efectivo
851.000.000 US$
Activos corrientes
6.200.000.000 US$
Pasivos totales
12.922.000.000 US$
Pasivos corrientes
5.126.000.000 US$
Patrimonio neto
3.226.000.000 US$
Puente de flujo de cajaCómo el flujo de caja operativo se convirtió en flujo de caja libre en FY2025.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Conciliación del flujo operativo
Beneficio neto3066 M US$Depreciación y amortización+397 M US$Compensación basada en acciones+69 M US$Otros ajustes operativos−406 M US$Flujo de caja operativo3126 M US$
Conciliación del efectivo inicial al final
Efectivo inicial948 M US$Flujo de caja operativo+3126 M US$Flujo de inversión−521 M US$Flujo de financiación−2744 M US$Efecto del tipo de cambio+42 M US$Efectivo final851 M US$
3126 M US$ − 419 M US$Flujo de caja libre 2707 M US$
Datos del puente de flujo de caja
Beneficio neto
3.066.000.000 US$
Entrada operativa
3.532.000.000 US$
Depreciación y amortización
397.000.000 US$
Compensación basada en acciones
69.000.000 US$
Flujo de caja operativo
3.126.000.000 US$
Salida operativa
406.000.000 US$
Efectivo disponible
4.116.000.000 US$
Efectivo inicial
948.000.000 US$
Efecto del tipo de cambio
42.000.000 US$
Salida de inversión
521.000.000 US$
Capex
419.000.000 US$
Otras actividades de inversión
102.000.000 US$
Salida de financiación
2.744.000.000 US$
Efectivo final
851.000.000 US$
Flujo de inversión
-521.000.000 US$
Flujo de financiación
-2.744.000.000 US$
Ingresos por categoría de negocioProporción de los ingresos totales de 2026-06-30.
4301 MIngresos totales
Ingresos por categoría de negocioProporción
Cost of2403 M55,9 %
Otros1898 M44,1 %
Datos de composición de ingresos: Ingresos por categoría de negocio
Ingresos por categoría de negocio
Ingresos
Proporción
interanual
Cost of
2403 M
55,9 %
—
Other
1898 M
44,1 %
—
Ingresos y beneficiosCómo la escala del negocio se convierte en beneficio declarado.
Efectivo y deudaLiquidez disponible frente al endeudamiento total.
Generación de efectivoFlujo de caja operativo frente al flujo de caja libre.
RentabilidadEvolución de los márgenes bruto, operativo y neto.
Datos financieros puntuales utilizados en el análisis del 2026-10-03.
Datos del historial financiero
Período
Ingresos
EBITDA
Beneficio neto
Flujo de caja operativo
Flujo de caja libre
Capex
Depreciación y amortización
Compensación basada en acciones
Recompras de acciones
Dividendos pagados
Emisión neta de deuda
Flujo de inversión
Flujo de financiación
Efectivo inicial
Efectivo final
Efectivo e inversiones
Deuda total
Margen operativo
ROIC
WACC
Diferencial ROIC−WACC
2016-12-31
13,6 mil M US$
3615 M US$
2035 M US$
2302 M US$
2029 M US$
273 M US$
470 M US$
39 M US$
2000 M US$
821 M US$
—
-532 M US$
-2255 M US$
—
2472 M US$
2472 M US$
7827 M US$
22,5 %
—
5,9 %
—
2017-12-31
14,3 mil M US$
3992 M US$
1687 M US$
2402 M US$
2105 M US$
297 M US$
462 M US$
36 M US$
1000 M US$
941 M US$
—
-251 M US$
-1674 M US$
2472 M US$
3094 M US$
3094 M US$
7479 M US$
24,3 %
—
6,2 %
—
2018-12-31
14,8 mil M US$
4112 M US$
2563 M US$
2811 M US$
2447 M US$
364 M US$
461 M US$
40 M US$
2000 M US$
1124 M US$
—
-325 M US$
-3964 M US$
3094 M US$
1504 M US$
1504 M US$
7379 M US$
24,3 %
—
6,3 %
—
2019-12-31
14,1 mil M US$
3935 M US$
2521 M US$
2995 M US$
2669 M US$
326 M US$
426 M US$
41 M US$
1500 M US$
1321 M US$
—
-183 M US$
-2326 M US$
1504 M US$
1981 M US$
1981 M US$
7758 M US$
24,1 %
—
5,8 %
—
2020-12-31
12,6 mil M US$
3064 M US$
2109 M US$
2807 M US$
2571 M US$
236 M US$
427 M US$
42 M US$
706 M US$
1379 M US$
—
-214 M US$
-2049 M US$
1981 M US$
2564 M US$
2564 M US$
8122 M US$
22,9 %
—
4,4 %
—
2021-12-31
14,5 mil M US$
3661 M US$
2694 M US$
2557 M US$
2261 M US$
296 M US$
410 M US$
53 M US$
1000 M US$
1463 M US$
—
-984 M US$
-2564 M US$
2564 M US$
1527 M US$
1527 M US$
7477 M US$
24,1 %
—
5,1 %
—
2022-12-31
15,9 mil M US$
4179 M US$
3034 M US$
2348 M US$
1936 M US$
412 M US$
410 M US$
63 M US$
1750 M US$
1542 M US$
276 M US$
-110 M US$
-3000 M US$
1527 M US$
708 M US$
708 M US$
6708 M US$
23,8 %
—
7,4 %
—
2023-12-31
16,1 mil M US$
4040 M US$
2957 M US$
3539 M US$
3084 M US$
455 M US$
395 M US$
69 M US$
1500 M US$
1615 M US$
294 M US$
-403 M US$
-2782 M US$
708 M US$
1065 M US$
1065 M US$
7700 M US$
25,1 %
—
7,4 %
—
2024-12-31
15,9 mil M US$
5107 M US$
3488 M US$
3281 M US$
2844 M US$
437 M US$
402 M US$
61 M US$
1500 M US$
1695 M US$
-8 M US$
-144 M US$
-3189 M US$
1065 M US$
948 M US$
948 M US$
7085 M US$
26,8 %
—
8,0 %
—
2025-12-31
16 mil M US$
4650 M US$
3066 M US$
3126 M US$
2707 M US$
419 M US$
397 M US$
69 M US$
1500 M US$
1785 M US$
508 M US$
-521 M US$
-2744 M US$
948 M US$
851 M US$
851 M US$
7682 M US$
26,3 %
—
7,7 %
—
§9 Comparación de valoración con pares
Valor razonableReport-date price
Illinois Tool Works Inc.ITW
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable195,02 US$Report-date price262,92 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaWide
Cuadro de mando de inversión61 / 100
Rockwell Automation Inc.ROK
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable162,13 US$Report-date price455,08 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaStrong
Cuadro de mando de inversión60 / 100
Cummins Inc.CMI
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable443,65 US$Report-date price542,21 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNarrow
Cuadro de mando de inversión65 / 100
Illinois Tool Works Inc.ITW
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable195,02 US$Report-date price262,92 US$
Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) trades at 21.9x forward earnings against a peer median of 18.4x. Its EV/EBITDA of 17.4x compares with a peer median of 13.3x. The comparison uses 4 peers: Rockwell Automation Inc., Cummins Inc., United Parcel Service Inc. and Honeywell International Inc., as of 2026-10-03.
§10 Industria y cicloEN
Fase del ciclo
Contraction
Industry capex-to-revenue stands at 4.10% and industry capex-to-depreciation is 0.68, indicating widespread capital discipline and subdued manufacturing investment across the broader machinery sector. ITW invested $419M in capex (2.61% of revenue) in FY2025, well below peer reinvestment rates.7
Ciclo alcista
Global manufacturing capex re-accelerates, driving commercial construction, factory automation, and automotive retooling. Demand surges across Welding and Test & Measurement, lifting organic growth to 4.5%-5.0% and generating 40%+ incremental margins.
Ciclo bajista
High benchmark interest rates (risk-free rate 5.24%) and sluggish European activity ($4,162M EMEA revenue in FY2025) cause protracted industrial capex deferrals. Slower automotive builds pressure OEM revenue ($3,288M in FY2025), dragging organic growth toward 0.5% to 1.5%.
Tendencias seculares
Tendencia
Impacto
Nota
Factory Automation and Advanced Electronics Testing
positive
Growth in precision manufacturing and electronic component miniaturization drives demand for Test & Measurement and Electronics ($2,825M revenue in FY2025), with orders continuing to outpace revenue run rates.
Automotive Electrification and Lightweighting
positive
Transition to hybrid and electric vehicle platforms requires specialized fasteners, fluid systems, and engineered components, enabling ITW Automotive OEM to target 200-300 bps outperformance over vehicle build rates.
Posicionamiento
ITW is positioned as an elite, high-margin, asset-light niche supplier with 26.28% operating margins versus the industry benchmark of 16.10%. Its 80/20 decentralized structure allows fast operational adjustments across seven segments without carrying heavy underutilized fixed plant.7
§11 Gestión de posiciónEN
Tamaño de posición
Under our Sell rating, no portfolio weight is warranted. Shares trading at $262.92 as of October 2, 2026 stand at a 34.8% premium to our central fair value of $195.02 and sit well above the bull-case upper boundary of $222.75. Investors should hold zero position.4
Riesgo
Investors currently holding ITW should prioritize capital preservation and execute an orderly position liquidation. ITW trades at a substantial 34.8% premium over house fair value of $195.02, leaving no margin of safety against potential cyclical earnings deceleration or broader multiple contraction toward peer machinery levels (15.3x - 17.5x). Capital should be reallocated to industrial opportunities offering positive intrinsic margins of safety.
Tramos de entrada
Nivel
Acción
Por qué
$195.00
Observe / Re-evaluate
Represents house base-case fair value of $195.02, where overvaluation is eliminated but an adequate safety margin is not yet established.
$165.00
Evaluate Initial Tranche
Tramos de salida
Nivel
Acción
$262.92
Liquidate first 50% of position
$270.00 - $275.00
Liquidate remaining 50% on any secondary technical bounce
Accelerate complete position liquidation, as falling below the guided 26.5%-27.5% range confirms operational cost savings are failing to offset decremental volume leverage.5
§12 Perspectivas de inversoresEN
Value and Total Return Investor
Avoid
At $262.92 per share, ITW is valued at a forward P/E of 21.93x, a substantial premium over diversified peers like Cummins at 15.28x and UPS at 11.53x. With an implied downside of 25.8% to our centralized fair value of $195.02, risk-adjusted expected return is deeply negative relative to a 9.26% cost of equity.2,3,4
Dividend Growth and Income Investor
Hold
ITW maintains an exceptional 50-plus year dividend growth track record underpinned by an asset-light model ($419 million capex in FY2025) and free cash flow conversion exceeding 100% of net income. Existing taxable income accounts may hold positions to capture secure cash distributions, but new capital should not be allocated at current elevated market prices.5,7
Tactical and Cyclical Trader
Avoid
Tactical risk/reward is heavily skewed to the downside given prolonged industrial weakness in Europe ($4,162 million revenue in FY2025) and potential vehicle production slowdowns impacting Automotive OEM ($3,288 million revenue). Any failure to achieve guided second-half organic growth of 4.5% could trigger sharp multiple de-rating.5,8
§14 Recomendación finalEN
Acción
Vender
We recommend a Sell rating on Illinois Tool Works Inc. as the market price of $262.92 as of October 2, 2026 stands 34.8% above our centralized fair value midpoint of $195.02, delivering an implied return of -25.8%. While ITW is an exceptional business with a wide economic moat and 26.3% operating margins, trading at 21.93x forward earnings fully prices in management's multi-year execution through 2030 without providing an adequate risk buffer against cyclical exposure in automotive and European industrial manufacturing.4,5,7
Investors should trim or exit equity holdings to reallocate capital into assets offering returns exceeding our 9.26% cost of capital hurdle rate. With consensus expectations embedding an aggressive acceleration to 4.5% organic growth in the second half of 2026 and full-year revenue of $16,830 million, any execution delay or end-market softening could trigger substantial multiple compression toward machinery peer levels of 15.3x.
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Sources
The records this analysis drew on, as they stood when it was run.
Analyst consensusData as of 2026-10-03 · Published 2026-10-03 · Provider-adjusted · cited for 1 figureCited in Resumen ejecutivo, Recomendación final
Not every cited input appears here: internal calculations and intermediate model outputs have no external record, and some citations could not be matched to one.
EMEA Industrial Stagnation and Global CapEx Freeze
EMEA contributed $4,162M of revenue in FY2025 (25.9% of consolidated total), while Welding generated $1,890M. Prolonged industrial stagnation across Europe and customer capex freezes would turn organic revenue negative, breaching the -1.5% trigger and failing management's 3% to 4% growth target, reducing fair value by an estimated 31.2%.5,8
FV impact
-4%
Revenue and EPS growth 5 points lower for five years
ITW trades at a forward P/E of 21.93x, commanding a significant multiple premium over diversified industrial peers such as CMI at 15.28x and UPS at 11.53x. If organic revenue growth continues at historical rates (5-year CAGR of 0.23%), the market may de-rate ITW below 17.5x, eliminating the multiple premium and reducing fair value by an estimated 20.0%.3,4
FV impact
-5.9%
Terminal multiple 20% lower
Trigger
Within 18 months
Cost of Capital Expansion Under Prolonged Higher Rates
With the risk-free rate at 5.24% and computed cost of equity at 9.2554%, persistent inflation pressures driving long-term benchmark yields 100 bps higher would push the cost of equity above 10.25%, sharply discounting terminal cash flows and reducing fair value by an estimated 18.5%.2
Organic growth slowing to 1.00% or below indicates European manufacturing stagnation and automotive OEM build contraction are overpowering North American stability, falsifying top-line recovery assumptions.
Capex rising above $600M indicates capacity misallocation or unanticipated capital intensity, breaking the asset-light 80/20 model and reducing free cash flow conversion below the guided 100% threshold.
Valuation multiple de-rating below 17.50x toward machinery peers like CMI at 15.28x indicates loss of investor willingness to pay a premium multiple for ITW's low top-line compounding profile.
Free cash flow conversion falling below 85% contradicts management guidance to exceed 100% of net income, indicating inventory build or cash collection delays that threaten the $1.5B annual share repurchase commitment.
Actual:88.3%
Alerta si< 85.0%
03
Intangible Assets and Customer-Back Innovation Intellectual Property — Customer-Back Innovation (CBI) co-engineers proprietary solutions with strategic accounts, introducing new products at premium margins that support management's 30% enterprise operating margin goal by 2030,.
Wide
Prolonged macroeconomic and manufacturing weakness across EMEA ($4,162M FY2025 revenue) deferring customer capex.
medium
12 to 36 months
Decentralized local-for-local operating model and revenue balancing across North America ($8,480M FY2025 revenue) and Asia Pacific ($3,079M) mitigate European industrial stagnation,.8
Raw material cost inflation timing lags creating multi-quarter margin dilution.
low
6 to 12 months
Divisional daily pricing execution and commercial terms historically recover price/cost headwinds over 2 to 3 quarters, targeting 40% incremental margins,.5
58,2%
Method
Project EPS through the explicit advantage period, fade growth as competition catches up, and discount the full stream at cost of equity.
Discounted forecast-period cash flows (46,77 US$) plus discounted terminal value (184 US$) minus signed per current share (23,99 US$) equals the 206 US$ lens value shown above. Negative net debt is , so subtracting it raises value.
Global industrial demand accelerates across North America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. Accelerated adoption of Customer-Back Innovation products expands market share while operational cell efficiencies deliver strong incremental margins. Free cash flow conversion exceeds net earnings, funding accelerated buybacks that expand diluted share compounding and lift intrinsic valuation toward Potential value of $222.75.5
Automotive OEM Segment Profitability and Build Rates
ActualOperating profitability remained resilient in FY2025 with management targeting organic outgrowth over underlying production.
Por qué importa
Automotive OEM is ITW's largest segment by revenue, making segment execution critical for consolidated profit stability.8
04
Métrica:
Price/Cost Timing Friction Resolution
ActualManagement anticipates price/cost headwinds dissipating through the second half before returning to positive historical contribution,.
Por qué importa
Timing lags between input cost inflation and price adjustments created margin dilution; recovery is required to achieve guided incremental margin targets.5
ITW's capital allocation philosophy prioritizes shareholder returns through organic reinvestment, growing dividend distributions, and systematic share buybacks. Capital expenditures were $419M in FY2025, well below the broader machinery industry benchmark of 4.10% of revenue, reflecting the capital efficiency of the 80/20 operating system. Management has guided approximately $1.5B in annual share repurchases for FY2026, mirroring FY2025 repurchases of $1.5B and reducing shares outstanding to 284.8M. The company maintains a 50+ year dividend growth record with a current annual payout of $6.88 per share. M&A is highly disciplined; large acquisitions are avoided in favor of small, highly targeted bolt-ons that fit 80/20 criteria. Balance sheet leverage remains conservative, with total debt of $9,694M against market capitalization of $74.88B.
Operating income was $4,216M in FY2025 (26.28% operating margin), guiding to 26.5%-27.5% in FY2026 with enterprise initiatives contributing >100 bps,, compared to the machinery industry benchmark of 16.10% and peer CMI at 11.90%.
ITW possesses a 1,000+ bps profitability cushion over diversified machinery peers, insulating earnings against moderate volume decrements.
Low capital intensity enables continuous 100%+ free cash flow conversion.
ITW funds its $1.5B annual share repurchase program and growing dividend entirely from organic cash flow without needing external financing.
Severe market overvaluation relative to historical low top-line compounding.
ITW trades at 21.93x forward earnings and $262.92, representing a 34.8% premium to house central fair value of $195.02, despite a 5-year revenue CAGR of only 0.23% on FY2025 revenue of $16,044M.
The market is pricing in sustained growth rates that conflict with mature industrial compounding realities, leaving equity holders exposed to multiple contraction.
United Parcel Service Inc.UPS
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable91,92 US$Report-date price93,02 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNarrow
Cuadro de mando de inversión61 / 100
Honeywell International Inc.HON
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable193,44 US$Report-date price211,41 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaWide
Cuadro de mando de inversión66 / 100
Margen
ITW
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
$74.9B
21.9x
4.5x
17.4x
104.6%
—
ROK
Rockwell Automation Inc.
$50.5B
30.5x
5.6x
25.6x
30.6%
21.0%
CMI
Cummins Inc.
$72.9B
15.3x
2.1x
15.6x
21.1%
11.9%
UPS
United Parcel Service Inc.
$79.1B
11.5x
0.9x
8.5x
29.6%
9.1%
HON
Honeywell International Inc.
$67.8B
21.5x
1.8x
11.0x
46.6%
20.2%
Supply Chain Regionalization and Nearshoring
positive
Manufacturing localized near customers in North America ($8,480M FY2025 revenue) and Europe ($4,162M FY2025 revenue) protects against geopolitical supply shocks and tariff friction,.