Exploring ITT Inc. (ITT) Investor Profile: Who’s Buying and Why?

You're looking at ITT Inc. (ITT) and wondering who's driving the stock's momentum and why the big money is so defintely interested, right? The answer is clear: this is an institutional-grade stock, with a massive 92.85% of its shares held by professional investors. We're talking about giants like Capital International Investors, who hold over 8.54 million shares valued at roughly $1.56 billion, and Vanguard Group Inc. with its $1.43 billion stake. These firms aren't just holding; some are actively increasing their positions, like Alliancebernstein L.P., which boosted its stake by over 11% in the last reported quarter. Why the conviction? The company's financial trajectory is strong, setting a Fiscal Year 2025 EPS guidance of $6.620-$6.680-a clear beat over the consensus-plus, Q2 2025 revenue jumped 12.9% year-over-year to $999.1 million. That's a compelling combination of stable structure and near-term growth. So, who are the other major players, and what specific segments of ITT's business-from Motion Technologies to Industrial Process-are they betting on to maximize that return?

Who Invests in ITT Inc. (ITT) and Why?

The investor profile for ITT Inc. is dominated by the big players, so the stock is really a story of institutional conviction. These large funds, including names like BlackRock, own the vast majority of shares, attracted by the company's predictable cash flow and its strategic shift toward higher-margin industrial technology.

You're looking at a company where institutional ownership sits at a staggering 92.85% of shares outstanding, as of late 2025. This means the stock's price action is driven almost entirely by the movements of major asset managers, mutual funds, and pension funds, not individual retail traders. Retail investors, or the general public, hold a smaller piece of the pie, around 3.91%.

Here's the quick math on who holds the power:

• Institutional Investors: 92.85% (Passive/Active Funds, Hedge Funds).
• Retail Investors: 3.91% (Individual Accounts).
• Company Insiders: 3.25% (Executives and Directors).

Investment Motivations: Growth, Margins, and a Reliable Payout

The primary attraction for institutional money is ITT Inc.'s consistent execution and its focus on engineered, high-value components across its three core segments: Motion Technologies (MT), Industrial Process (IP), and Connect & Control Technologies (CCT). This isn't a speculative tech stock; it's a quality industrial compounder.

The 2025 fiscal year guidance highlights the core motivations. Management expects total revenue growth of 5% to 7%, with organic revenue growth of 3% to 5%, which is solid for a diversified industrial company. Plus, the company has successfully expanded its adjusted operating margin to a target range of 18.1% to 18.7%. That margin improvement is defintely a key signal of operational excellence and pricing power.

For a deeper dive into how these segments contribute to the business, you should check out ITT Inc. (ITT): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

The second major draw is the dividend. While the dividend yield is relatively modest at about 0.78%, the company has a 13-year streak of consecutive dividend increases, with a one-year growth rate of over 10%. This signals financial health and a commitment to returning capital, appealing to dividend growth investors.

The company's strong cash generation also matters, with projected 2025 free cash flow of $450 million to $500 million.

Investment Strategies: The Blend of Passive and Active Capital

The makeup of the shareholder base suggests a mix of investment strategies. The largest holders are often the index fund behemoths, which are essentially passive investors buying the stock because it's in a major index like the S&P MidCap 400 or Russell 1000. They are long-term holders by definition.

This is where the distinction between passive and active capital becomes important:

Active managers, like Capital International Investors or Select Equity Group, are likely employing a 'Growth at a Reasonable Price' (GARP) strategy. They see the company's ability to generate adjusted earnings per share (EPS) in the range of $6.35 to $6.55 for 2025 and its low dividend payout ratio (around 22.73%) as a sign of a quality business that is retaining enough cash to reinvest for future growth. That low payout ratio is a clear signal: the company is prioritizing reinvestment over maximum immediate shareholder return, which is what growth-focused investors want to see.

Still, you need to watch the insider activity. While a small percentage of ownership, there has been net insider selling in the last 90 days ending in November 2025. This doesn't change the overall institutional thesis, but it's a data point that active investors monitor closely as a potential near-term risk signal.

Institutional Ownership and Major Shareholders of ITT Inc. (ITT)

You're looking at ITT Inc. (ITT) because its industrial technology profile and recent performance, like the Q3 2025 revenue of $999.10 million, look compelling. The first thing you need to grasp is that this stock is overwhelmingly controlled by professional money managers, which changes the investment dynamic entirely.

Institutional investors-the large funds, banks, and endowments-own a staggering portion of the company, holding approximately 91.59% of ITT Inc.'s outstanding shares. That's a massive concentration of ownership, meaning the stock price and strategic direction are largely dictated by the decisions of these major players.

Top Institutional Investors: Who's Buying ITT?

The investor profile is dominated by the usual suspects in the passive and active management world. These aren't small hedge funds; they are the behemoths of global finance. As of the most recent filings (September 30, 2025), the top three shareholders alone command a significant slice of the company. Here's a quick look at the largest holders and their positions, which collectively represent billions in capital.

When you see names like Vanguard Group Inc. and BlackRock, Inc. at the top, you know a substantial portion of the ownership is tied to index funds (passive management), which provides a strong, stable base for the stock. This is defintely a good sign for long-term stability.

Recent Shifts: Have Institutional Investors Increased or Decreased Their Stakes?

The third quarter of 2025 saw a mixed, but active, trading environment among the big funds. This tells you that while the overall institutional ownership remains high, there's a healthy debate over valuation and near-term growth prospects, especially with the company setting its FY 2025 EPS guidance at $6.620 to $6.680.

• Net Selling: Some of the largest holders, including Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock, Inc., and JPMorgan Chase & Co., slightly decreased their positions during the quarter, signaling some profit-taking or portfolio rebalancing.
• Net Buying: Other major funds were accumulating. Alliancebernstein L.P. notably increased its stake by over 119,000 shares, and earlier in the year, firms like T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. showed material increases, nearly doubling their position in the first quarter.
• New Positions: The continuous flow of new money into the stock, such as Nuveen LLC acquiring a new position valued at over $156 million in Q1 2025, shows fresh conviction in the company's trajectory.

The quick math here is that the high volume of buying and selling means the market is actively repricing ITT Inc. based on its execution and industrial cycle outlook. The stock is currently trading around $190.52 per share as of mid-November 2025, up significantly from a year prior.

Impact of Institutional Investors: The Governance Factor

The sheer volume of institutional ownership-over nine out of every ten shares-means these investors are not just passive bystanders. They play a crucial role in ITT Inc.'s stock price and corporate strategy, primarily through governance and liquidity.

First, their presence provides incredible liquidity. You can move in and out of a position with relative ease because there's always a large pool of professional capital ready to trade. Second, and more importantly, they are the primary drivers of corporate governance. The Board of Directors and executive team are highly accountable to this group.

ITT Inc. has a history of strong corporate governance, including having an independent Board Chair, which is a direct response to the expectations of major institutional shareholders. These large holders demand capital efficiency, clear strategic roadmaps-especially for the Motion Technologies and Industrial Process segments-and consistent shareholder returns, including the quarterly dividend of $0.351 per share. Their collective voice ensures management remains focused on maximizing long-term value, not just chasing short-term gains. To understand the foundation of this focus, you can review the company's history and mission here: ITT Inc. (ITT): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

Your action item is simple: Keep a close eye on the next round of 13F filings. If Vanguard and BlackRock continue to trim their stakes while active managers like Capital International Investors accelerate their buying, it signals a shift from passive index support to active conviction in the company's strategic direction.

Key Investors and Their Impact on ITT Inc. (ITT)

You want to know who is really calling the shots at ITT Inc. (ITT) and what their recent moves mean for the stock. The direct takeaway is that ITT Inc. is overwhelmingly institutionally-owned, with passive index funds holding the largest stakes, but the real capital signal comes from the active managers who are aggressively buying into the company's strong 2025 earnings momentum.

Institutional investors and hedge funds own a staggering 91.59% of ITT Inc.'s outstanding shares. This high concentration means the stock is less susceptible to sudden shifts from retail traders and more driven by the calculated, long-term decisions of massive money managers. It's a classic industrial-tech stock favored by large, diversified funds.

The Passive Giants: Vanguard and BlackRock

The biggest investors are the passive behemoths, the ones whose sheer size dictates ownership due to their index-tracking strategies. These firms don't buy ITT Inc. because of a deep-dive analysis on pump projects; they buy it because it's a component of the S&P 500 or the Russell 1000 Index.

As of the most recent filings, the top holders are led by Capital International Investors, followed closely by the index fund managers. Vanguard Group Inc. held approximately 7,840,250 shares, valued at around $1.40 billion as of November 7, 2025. BlackRock, Inc. was another major player, holding about 7,364,039 shares in the third quarter of 2025. Their influence isn't in activism, but in governance.

• Influence: They push for strong Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices, including board refreshment and climate risk disclosure, which ITT Inc. has addressed with recent board appointments and a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2026.
• Recent Moves: Interestingly, both Vanguard and BlackRock were net sellers in the third quarter of 2025, trimming their positions by -6% and -1% respectively. This is often just portfolio rebalancing, not a negative signal on the company itself.

Active Managers: The Real Bullish Signal

The more telling story comes from the active investment managers, the ones who make a conscious decision to increase their stake based on fundamentals. These firms see the company's strong 2025 performance-Q3 Adjusted EPS of $1.78 on revenue of $999.1 million-and are moving capital accordingly.

Here's the quick math: ITT Inc. has consistently raised its full-year guidance, now targeting a midpoint Adjusted EPS of $6.65 for the 2025 fiscal year. That kind of execution, driven by organic growth in Industrial Process and Connect & Control Technologies, attracts the growth-at-a-reasonable-price crowd.

Two active funds made particularly notable moves in the first half of 2025, signaling a strong conviction in the company's strategic plan, which you can read more about here: ITT Inc. (ITT): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

T. Rowe Price's massive increase, for example, aligns with their stated 2025 outlook favoring value stocks and companies benefiting from the 'rebuilding the physical economy' theme, which fits ITT Inc.'s industrial and defense-related segments perfectly. When a manager jumps in that hard, they defintely believe the stock is undervalued relative to its growth trajectory.

Insider Sentiment and Capital Allocation

While institutional buying is strong, it's worth noting that insider ownership is very low, at around 0.47% of the stock. For instance, the Chief Financial Officer sold 5,500 shares in late October 2025 for a value exceeding $1 million. This is a small percentage of the company's market capitalization of approximately $14.22 billion, but it's a data point to monitor.

Still, the company's capital allocation strategy is highly shareholder-friendly, which acts as a counter-signal to minor insider sales. ITT Inc.'s Board of Directors authorized a $1 billion share repurchase plan, with $875 million remaining as of March 29, 2025, and the company intends to repurchase up to an additional $500 million of shares. This commitment to reducing the share count directly boosts Earnings Per Share (EPS) for all shareholders.

Market Impact and Investor Sentiment

You want to know who is driving ITT Inc.'s (ITT) valuation and why the stock has been moving. The direct takeaway is that institutional conviction is incredibly high, signaling a strong positive sentiment that is validating the company's operational execution and growth strategy. Institutional investors, the so-called smart money, own a massive chunk of the company, holding between 91.59% and 96.30% of the shares.

This level of institutional ownership is a powerful vote of confidence, especially when you see major funds actively increasing their positions. For example, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake by a staggering 97.1% in the first quarter of 2025, and Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its position by 3.4% in Q2, valuing its holding at about $103.1 million. This is not passive investing; this is active accumulation based on a belief in the company's future earnings power. It's a strong signal that the market's heavy hitters see clear upside. You can learn more about the corporate history and mission that underpins this conviction here: ITT Inc. (ITT): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

• Institutional ownership is near 93%, a strong bullish indicator.
• T. Rowe Price increased its stake by 97.1% in Q1 2025.
• Insider activity, however, shows net selling in the last three months of 2025.

Recent Market Reactions to Ownership Shifts

The stock market has responded to this institutional enthusiasm with a significant price surge. The shares skyrocketed 35.6% in the period leading up to October 2025, which is a clear reaction to both the heavy buying and the company's impressive financial beats. The market is pricing in the strong fundamentals, particularly the Q3 2025 performance where ITT Inc. reported adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $1.78, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67.

This outperformance, coupled with management raising the full-year 2025 adjusted EPS guidance to a midpoint of $6.65, provided a concrete catalyst for the stock's rally. The stock's high beta (a measure of volatility) means its price movements are exaggerated relative to the broader market, so when good news hits, the rally is amplified. Honestly, the stock's move is a perfect example of institutional conviction translating directly into market gains.

Here's a quick look at the top institutional holders as of the most recent filings, which shows where the capital is concentrated:

Note: These values are based on the latest available 2025 data and the stock price at the time of reporting.

Analyst Perspectives on Key Investors' Impact

The analyst community is largely in lockstep with the major investors, which is why the buying is so aggressive. The consensus rating is a 'Moderate Buy' or 'Strong Buy,' with 10 out of 11 analysts rating the stock a 'Buy.' This bullish sentiment is driven by ITT Inc.'s strong operational catalysts, not just the capital flows.

Analysts see the institutional ownership as validation of the company's strategic focus on high-growth areas like decarbonization applications and the aerospace and defense markets. The average analyst price target is set at approximately $201.25, with the highest target at $225.00, forecasting an upside of over 12% from recent prices. This price target is directly supported by the company's strong order momentum, including a robust $1.8 billion backlog as of the second quarter of 2025. Still, some analysts maintain a 'Hold' rating, arguing that after the 35.6% surge, the stock is now 'fairly valued' and the upside is limited, even with excellent execution.

The key takeaway for you is that the major investors are buying into a clear growth story, which the analysts are confirming with high price targets and strong ratings. The risk is that the stock is defintely priced for perfection right now, so any miss on the raised $6.620-$6.680 FY 2025 EPS guidance could trigger a sharp pullback.