At Holdings Channel, we have reviewed the latest batch of the 58 most recent 13F filings for the 03/31/2025 reporting period, and noticed that Illinois Tool Works, Inc. (Symbol: ITW) was held by 25 of these funds. When hedge fund managers appear to be thinking alike, we find it is a good idea to take a closer look.
Before we proceed, it is important to point out that 13F filings do not tell the whole story, because these funds are only required to disclose their long positions with the SEC, but are not required to disclose their short positions. A fund making a bearish bet against a stock by shorting calls, for example, might also be long some amount of stock as they trade around their overall bearish position. This long component could show up in a 13F filing and everyone might assume the fund is bullish, but this tells only part of the story because the bearish/short side of the position is not seen.
Having given that caveat, we believe that looking at groups of 13F filings can be revealing, especially when comparing one holding period to another. Below, let's take a look at the change in ITW positions, for this latest batch of 13F filers:
In terms of shares owned, we count 10 of the above funds having increased existing ITW positions from 12/31/2024 to 03/31/2025, with 11 having decreased their positions and 1 new position.
Looking beyond these particular funds in this one batch of most recent filers, we tallied up the ITW share count in the aggregate among all of the funds which held ITW at the 03/31/2025 reporting period (out of the 4,887 we looked at in total). We then compared that number to the sum total of ITW shares those same funds held back at the 12/31/2024 period, to see how the aggregate share count held by hedge funds has moved for ITW. We found that between these two periods, funds increased their holdings by 3,011,185 shares in the aggregate, from 97,503,229 up to 100,514,414 for a share count increase of approximately 3.09%. The overall top three funds holding ITW on 03/31/2025 were:
| » | Fund | Shares of ITW Held |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vanguard Group Inc. | 26,387,819 |
| 2. | BlackRock Inc. | 20,989,563 |
| 3. | Capital Research Global Investors | 4,237,687 |
| 4-10 | Find out the full Top 10 Hedge Funds Holding ITW | » |
We'll keep following the latest 13F filings by hedge fund managers and bring you interesting stories derived from a look at the aggregate information across groups of managers between filing periods. While looking at individual 13F filings can sometimes be misleading due to the long-only nature of the information, the sum total across groups of funds from one reporting period to another can be a lot more revealing and relevant, providing interesting stock ideas that merit further research, like Illinois Tool Works, Inc. (Symbol: ITW).
10 S&P 500 Components Hedge Funds Are Buying »
Also see:
REW Average Annual Return
WGL Options Chain
BFIT shares outstanding history
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
