April 30 (Reuters) - Illinois Tool Works ITW.N on Wednesday posted lower first-quarter profit and revenue as economic uncertainty and sticky inflation weighed on demand for industrial equipment, sending its shares down as much as 4% in premarket trading.
The Trump administration's erratic tariff plans have also left businesses unsure about making big spending decisions, hurting demand for fasteners and other industrial tools and equipment supplied by the Illinois-based firm.
Operating revenue in all of the company's seven segments, including the two largest by revenue, automotive OEM and food equipment, fell from last year.
The steepest drop in operating revenue was in its construction products segment, which was down 9.2%.
Total operating margin contracted 360 basis points to 24.8%.
Its total quarterly revenue came in at $3.84 billion, down 3.4%, while net income fell to $700 million from $819 million last year.
It posted a quarterly profit of $2.44 per share excluding items, compared with $2.35 expected by analysts, according to data compiled by LSEG.
The company maintained its 2025 earnings forecast range of $10.15 to $10.55 per share, saying it included on-going pricing actions that are projected to offset tariff cost impacts.
(Reporting by Anandita Mehrotra and Aishwarya Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
((Anandita.Mehrotra@thomsonreuters.com;))
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