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Illinois Tool Works Inc. short interest

8.3M shares of Illinois Tool Works were sold short at the 15 October 2026 settlement, the fewest since 30 Jan 2026. Short sellers would need 6.6 days of normal trading to buy them back.

Shares sold short8.3Mat 15 Oct 2026
Change on the settlement before-9.8%+20% over a year
Days to cover6.58at 1.3M shares a day
Of shares in issue2.92%shares short over shares outstanding
New to this? How to read this page
  1. Short interest is the number of shares investors have borrowed and sold, betting the price will fall, and not yet bought back.
  2. Days to cover is shares short over an average day's trading: how many days it would take short sellers to buy them all back. Above 5 or so is high.
  3. Rising short interest says more investors are betting against the stock. A crowded short can also rise fast if shorts rush to buy back.
  4. Brokers report it twice a month to FINRA, about ten days after each settlement date.
  5. What is short interest?

Short interest, days to cover and the price

Short interest is the fewest since 30 Jan 2026, and the share price moved +13% over the last year.

Shares sold shortDays to coverShare price

Three charts on one timeline. Top: shares sold short at each settlement. Middle: days to cover, taller meaning shorts would need longer to buy back. Bottom: the share price, so you can see whether shorts added as the price fell or rose.

How it compares

every company on the site

    The bar ranks every company on the site from the lowest on the left to the highest on the right, in three equal thirds; the small figures under it are the values where each third starts, and the black tick is the middle company. The orange dot is this company; the grey ticks are the other companies in its industry (hover or tap for names). A hatched block is companies tied at none.

    Every settlement since 29 Dec 2017 as a table
    SettlementShares shortChangeAverage daily volumeDays to cover
    15 October 20268.3M-9.8%1.3M6.58
    30 September 20269.2M+4.9%1.5M6.02
    15 September 20268.8M-0.0%1.2M7.18
    31 August 20268.8M+0.0%926K9.46
    14 August 20268.8M-1.8%977K8.96
    31 July 20268.9M-6.5%1.8M4.84
    15 July 20269.5M-5.9%1.2M8.12
    30 June 202610.1M+6.5%1.7M5.95
    15 June 20269.5M-1.2%1.3M7.49
    29 May 20269.6M+2.6%1.6M6.14
    15 May 20269.4M+4.1%1.2M7.62
    30 April 20269.0M+0.7%1.4M6.53
    15 April 20269.0M-6.1%1.2M7.62
    31 March 20269.5M+8.3%1.3M7.34
    13 March 20268.8M-3.9%1.3M6.91
    27 February 20269.2M+3.1%1.5M6.14
    13 February 20268.9M+11.8%2.1M4.19
    30 January 20268.0M+3.7%1.2M6.53
    15 January 20267.7M-7.5%1.5M5.04
    31 December 20258.3M+9.8%1.1M7.33
    15 December 20257.6M-5.4%1.0M7.44
    28 November 20258.0M+6.4%1.2M6.50
    14 November 20257.5M-2.2%1.1M7.00
    31 October 20257.7M+11.1%1.6M4.95
    15 October 20256.9M+5.5%998K6.92
    30 September 20256.6M+2.0%888K7.37
    15 September 20256.4M-1.3%760K8.45
    29 August 20256.5M-1.2%912K7.13
    15 August 20256.6M+8.1%943K6.98
    31 July 20256.1M-0.5%1.1M5.53
    15 July 20256.1M-18.5%984K6.22
    30 June 20257.5M+16.8%916K8.19
    13 June 20256.4M-1.3%800K8.03
    30 May 20256.5M-14.0%979K6.65
    15 May 20257.6M+14.8%1.2M6.19
    30 April 20256.6M-1.2%1.4M4.72
    15 April 20256.7M-2.1%1.5M4.36
    31 March 20256.8M+4.7%1.0M6.59
    14 March 20256.5M-1.7%1.5M4.33
    28 February 20256.6M+5.9%1.0M6.47
    14 February 20256.3M+5.8%1.1M5.47
    31 January 20255.9M-0.0%903K6.55
    15 January 20255.9M-3.4%890K6.64
    31 December 20246.1M+8.6%970K6.31
    13 December 20245.6M-0.6%724K7.79
    29 November 20245.7M+2.6%832K6.82
    15 November 20245.5M+4.2%892K6.20
    31 October 20245.3M-15.0%893K5.94
    15 October 20246.2M-6.8%658K9.49
    30 September 20246.7M+10.1%916K7.31
    13 September 20246.1M+4.2%860K7.08
    30 August 20245.8M+3.4%665K8.79
    15 August 20245.7M+5.8%912K6.19
    31 July 20245.3M+1.1%1.2M4.38
    15 July 20245.3M-7.8%918K5.76
    28 June 20245.7M+14.0%1.4M4.12
    14 June 20245.0M-20.7%842K5.97
    31 May 20246.3M-10.9%1.2M5.31
    15 May 20247.1M+2.5%844K8.42
    30 April 20246.9M+7.3%1.3M5.41
    15 April 20246.5M-9.2%1.0M6.25
    28 March 20247.1M-5.7%1.0M7.06
    15 March 20247.6M-3.7%2.3M3.30
    29 February 20247.8M+8.9%1.1M7.32
    15 February 20247.2M-6.6%1.2M6.13
    31 January 20247.7M+4.3%1.2M6.62
    12 January 20247.4M-4.1%927K7.98
    29 December 20237.7M-1.8%748K10.31
    15 December 20237.8M-1.2%1.1M7.21
    30 November 20237.9M+0.1%972K8.17
    15 November 20237.9M-2.2%1.1M7.52
    31 October 20238.1M+8.8%1.5M5.45
    13 October 20237.5M-3.7%1.0M7.23
    29 September 20237.7M+13.0%887K8.72
    15 September 20236.8M+3.7%1.1M6.50
    31 August 20236.6M+2.6%742K8.90
    15 August 20236.4M-1.1%1.3M4.96
    31 July 20236.5M-1.8%1.2M5.50
    14 July 20236.6M+5.6%855K7.75
    30 June 20236.3M-0.2%1.1M5.74
    15 June 20236.3M+7.3%992K6.33
    31 May 20235.9M+1.4%1.3M4.63
    15 May 20235.8M-3.0%1.2M4.67
    28 April 20236.0M-3.0%867K6.87
    14 April 20236.1M-4.2%1.0M5.93
    31 March 20236.4M+11.1%1.4M4.60
    15 March 20235.8M+5.1%1.0M5.63
    28 February 20235.5M+1.7%919K5.97
    15 February 20235.4M-16.3%1.3M4.15
    31 January 20236.4M+1.3%1.0M6.42
    13 January 20236.4M+3.2%860K7.40
    30 December 20226.2M+8.3%874K7.06
    15 December 20225.7M-4.5%1.1M5.35
    30 November 20226.0M-5.0%1.0M5.69
    15 November 20226.3M-0.9%1.0M6.02
    31 October 20226.3M-9.9%1.5M4.13
    14 October 20227.0M+5.7%1.1M6.57
    30 September 20226.7M+9.0%1.2M5.48
    15 September 20226.1M+21.8%1.3M4.72
    31 August 20225.0M-9.8%921K5.44
    15 August 20225.6M-0.9%1.1M4.88
    29 July 20225.6M-2.2%878K6.38
    15 July 20225.7M-9.3%1.1M5.34
    30 June 20226.3M-3.0%1.2M5.13
    15 June 20226.5M-3.6%879K7.41
    31 May 20226.8M+9.0%1.2M5.84
    13 May 20226.2M+5.7%1.6M3.76
    29 April 20225.9M+2.0%1.1M5.33
    14 April 20225.7M+1.8%983K5.85
    31 March 20225.6M+6.0%988K5.72
    15 March 20225.3M+17.3%1.1M4.71
    28 February 20224.5M-5.0%1.3M3.55
    15 February 20224.8M-15.7%1.3M3.58
    31 January 20225.7M+8.1%1.2M4.69
    14 January 20225.2M-18.0%826K6.34
    31 December 20216.4M+16.9%886K7.21
    15 December 20215.5M+9.7%946K5.78
    30 November 20215.0M+6.8%1.1M4.54
    15 November 20214.7M+6.1%851K5.48
    29 October 20214.4M-0.4%784K5.60
    15 October 20214.4M-16.6%1.1M4.07
    30 September 20215.3M+9.6%1.1M4.99
    15 September 20214.8M+9.8%919K5.25
    31 August 20214.4M+0.9%686K6.41
    13 August 20214.4M-0.0%743K5.87
    30 July 20214.4M+3.5%877K4.97
    15 July 20214.2M+0.8%709K5.95
    30 June 20214.2M+9.9%1.2M3.42
    15 June 20213.8M+2.3%754K5.05
    28 May 20213.7M+38.7%888K4.19
    14 May 20212.7M-14.4%854K3.14
    30 April 20213.1M-19.7%897K3.49
    15 April 20213.9M-12.6%915K4.26
    31 March 20214.5M+23.7%1.4M3.16
    15 March 20213.6M+3.5%932K3.87
    26 February 20213.5M-1.3%844K4.13
    12 February 20213.5M+1.8%1.1M3.33
    29 January 20213.5M-0.2%790K4.39
    15 January 20213.5M-5.4%883K3.93
    31 December 20203.7M-0.1%785K4.68
    15 December 20203.7M-20.7%1.2M2.99
    30 November 20204.6M+3.6%979K4.74
    13 November 20204.5M-2.5%942K4.75
    30 October 20204.6M-13.2%957K4.79
    15 October 20205.3M-5.2%789K6.70
    30 September 20205.6M-1.3%959K5.82
    15 September 20205.6M-7.9%861K6.56
    31 August 20206.1M-6.2%635K9.66
    14 August 20206.5M-8.2%795K8.23
    31 July 20207.1M-10.2%853K8.35
    15 July 20207.9M-7.1%917K8.65
    30 June 20208.5M-6.4%1.7M5.06
    15 June 20209.1M-0.7%1.1M8.68
    29 May 20209.2M+0.5%1.0M8.77
    15 May 20209.2M+4.8%1.4M6.74
    30 April 20208.7M-2.9%1.2M7.46
    15 April 20209.0M+16.4%1.6M5.75
    31 March 20207.7M+7.1%2.6M2.98
    13 March 20207.2M+0.2%2.2M3.25
    28 February 20207.2M+7.6%1.6M4.63
    14 February 20206.7M-5.1%1.0M6.50
    31 January 20207.1M+1.1%1.2M5.81
    15 January 20207.0M-0.3%1.1M6.53
    31 December 20197.0M+2.7%916K7.64
    13 December 20196.8M+0.7%930K7.33
    29 November 20196.8M-3.8%909K7.45
    15 November 20197.0M-7.3%1.1M6.33
    31 October 20197.6M-4.0%1.5M5.21
    15 October 20197.9M+2.6%955K8.28
    30 September 20197.7M-0.5%1.1M6.96
    13 September 20197.7M+0.6%1.3M6.10
    30 August 20197.7M-4.8%1.2M6.66
    15 August 20198.1M+0.9%1.4M5.97
    31 July 20198.0M-0.6%1.6M5.12
    15 July 20198.1M+9.1%1.1M7.47
    28 June 20197.4M+2.1%1.1M6.59
    14 June 20197.2M-3.6%1.2M5.93
    31 May 20197.5M+13.7%1.5M4.99
    15 May 20196.6M+15.9%1.3M5.12
    30 April 20195.7M-7.8%1.4M4.09
    15 April 20196.2M-7.3%984K6.28
    29 March 20196.7M+4.4%1.2M5.44
    15 March 20196.4M+10.5%1.7M3.80
    28 February 20195.8M+3.7%1.1M5.14
    15 February 20195.6M-10.2%1.7M3.22
    31 January 20196.2M+0.7%1.5M4.11
    15 January 20196.2M-4.8%1.5M4.07
    31 December 20186.5M+30.1%1.8M3.70
    14 December 20185.0M+5.7%2.0M2.45
    30 November 20184.7M-3.5%1.4M3.46
    15 November 20184.9M-5.7%1.6M3.00
    31 October 20185.2M+21.6%2.7M1.89
    15 October 20184.3M-6.0%1.7M2.47
    28 September 20184.5M+16.4%1.3M3.51
    14 September 20183.9M+20.5%1.5M2.68
    31 August 20183.2M-6.8%1.5M2.20
    15 August 20183.5M+12.7%1.4M2.45
    31 July 20183.1M-1.8%2.3M1.35
    13 July 20183.1M-11.6%1.2M2.66
    29 June 20183.5M+4.1%1.7M2.10
    15 June 20183.4M-8.8%1.5M2.22
    31 May 20183.7M-10.9%1.5M2.53
    15 May 20184.2M+11.3%1.6M2.62
    30 April 20183.8M-2.6%1.8M2.08
    13 April 20183.9M-15.4%1.4M2.77
    29 March 20184.6M-11.8%1.6M2.93
    15 March 20185.2M+21.1%1.7M2.99
    28 February 20184.3M+0.4%1.2M3.66
    15 February 20184.3M+8.1%1.7M2.50
    31 January 20183.9M+5.3%1.4M2.73
    12 January 20183.7M+20.0%1.3M2.84
    29 December 20173.1M908K3.44
    Shares in millions (M) or thousands (K); hold the pointer on a figure for the exact count. FINRA publishes consolidated short interest twice a month, about ten days after each settlement.