Who Owns ITT Company?

ITT Bundle

Get Full Bundle:

	5 FORCES	$15	$10
	BCG	$15	$10
	CANVAS	$15	$10
	4P's MIX	$15	$10
	PESTLE	$15	$10
	SWOT	$15	$10

TOTAL:

ADD TO CART

Who controls ITT today?

When ITT split into three public companies in 2011, ownership shifted from founding-family influence to broad institutional and index ownership. By 2025 ITT’s market cap sits in the low-teens billions, driven by Motion Technologies, Industrial Process, and Connect & Control.

ITT Inc. is headquartered in Stamford, CT, with 2024 revenue around $3.3–3.5 billion and free cash flow above $500 million; institutional investors and index funds hold most shares under a one-share-one-vote structure. See ITT Porter's Five Forces Analysis for strategic context.

Founders and Early Ownership of ITT trace to brothers Sosthenes Behn and Hernan G. Behn, who formed International Telephone & Telegraph in 1920 to consolidate and operate telephone and telegraph systems internationally. They financed expansion through equity and debt placements, acquiring regional operators across Latin America, Europe, and the United States.

Founding Partners

Sosthenes and Hernan G. Behn founded ITT in 1920 to roll up international telecom assets and build scale across markets.

Early Capital Structure

Growth was financed by a mix of founder equity and debt placements; New York banking interests provided significant underwriting and bond financing.

Control and Governance

Control was concentrated with the Behn brothers via early shareholdings and board leadership under a traditional one-class common stock structure.

Investor Base

Early backers included regional bondholders and institutional banks rather than modern venture investors; institutional ownership grew later.

Equity Details

Archival records do not disclose an exact initial split between the Behn brothers; contemporary sources note effective control rather than formal vesting arrangements.

Legacy Impact

Concentrated founder control persisted until mid-century as the company diversified, later evolving into a publicly traded entity with broader institutional ownership.

Early financial records show substantial bond issues in the 1920s and 1930s that underwrote acquisitions; by the 1930s ITT controlled numerous local utilities and international lines, laying the foundation for later public listings and the modern ITT ownership evolution. Mission, Vision & Core Values of ITT

Key Facts

Founders, capital sources, governance and control dynamics summarized with relevance to 'Who owns ITT' and 'ITT ownership' queries.

• Founded in 1920 by Sosthenes and Hernan G. Behn
• Early financing combined founder equity and debt from New York banks
• Control concentrated with founders under one-class common stock
• Precise initial equity split not publicly documented in archival records

ITT SWOT Analysis

• Complete SWOT Breakdown
• Fully Customizable
• Editable in Excel & Word
• Professional Formatting
• Investor-Ready Format

GET TEMPLATE ➔

Key events shaping ITT ownership include its mid-20th century conglomerate expansion, the 2011 three‑way separation into ITT Corp., Xylem and Exelis, and ongoing capital returns and bolt‑on M&A that reshaped shareholder composition through the 2010s–2020s.

The current ITT corporate ownership structure features dominant institutional holders, low insider holdings, and a high public float that together influence governance and capital allocation priorities.

Major current stakeholders (Q2 2025)

Institutional concentration centers the shareholder base around a few large index and active managers, shaping strategic emphasis on returns and disclosure.

• The Vanguard Group — approximately 11–12% beneficial ownership
• BlackRock — approximately 10–11%
• State Street — approximately 4–5%
• Active managers (Wellington, T. Rowe Price, Capital Group, others) — generally 2–5% each
• Insider/director ownership — collectively typically under 2%
• Public float — roughly 98%+; institutional ownership exceeds 90%

High passive ownership (Vanguard/BlackRock/State Street ~26–28% combined) reinforces steady capital allocation, ROIC focus and enhanced ESG disclosure; active managers drive operational priorities such as margin expansion in Motion Technologies, aftermarket growth in Industrial Process and increased connectivity content in aerospace/defense cycles.

For deeper context on business lines and revenue mix that inform investor preferences, see Revenue Streams & Business Model of ITT.

ITT PESTLE Analysis

• Covers All 6 PESTLE Categories
• No Research Needed – Save Hours of Work
• Built by Experts, Trusted by Consultants
• Instant Download, Ready to Use
• 100% Editable, Fully Customizable

GET TEMPLATE ➔

ITT's board is majority-independent and chaired by independent directors, with CEO Luca Savi serving on the board; members bring expertise in industrials, operations, finance and technology, and independent chairs lead audit, compensation and nominating/governance committees to meet institutional governance expectations.

Voting follows one-share-one-vote common stock; there are no dual-class or founder-share structures and no single controlling shareholder—ownership is dispersed across institutional holders and the public float.

Board composition and voting power highlights

Directors combine operational and financial oversight experience; voting is equal per share and ownership remains widely held among institutions and retail investors.

• Major institutional holders include Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street and Wellington—collectively often holding >25% of float in aggregate across 2024–2025 filings
• Say-on-pay and director elections routinely pass with strong approvals typical of broadly held industrials
• No recent proxy contests or activist campaigns have changed control; engagement focuses on capital returns, decarbonization and supply-chain resilience
• Independent committee chairs and directors with prior audit/compensation committee experience emphasize financial oversight and capital allocation discipline

For deeper context on strategic direction and ownership implications see Growth Strategy of ITT; for up-to-date institutional holdings consult 2025 proxy filings (Form DEF 14A) and 13F filings for exact percentages and holdings by Vanguard, BlackRock and State Street.

ITT Business Model Canvas

• Complete 9-Block Business Model Canvas
• Effortlessly Communicate Your Business Strategy
• Investor-Ready BMC Format
• 100% Editable and Customizable
• Clear and Structured Layout

GET TEMPLATE ➔

Recent ownership trends at ITT show increasing institutional concentration and steady shareholder returns; from 2021–2025 the top index complexes grew their aggregate stakes into the high-20s percent while buybacks and dividend increases have supported per-share economics.

Institutional ownership trends, cash returns and targeted M&A define who owns ITT today, with passive index flows and active manager rotation driving most future shifts rather than control bids.

Institutional concentration

Major index providers and ETFs have increased exposure; combined index-complex holdings sit in the high-20s%, reflecting ITT ownership via industrials and global benchmark inclusion.

Shareholder returns

ITT has generated free cash flow above $500 million enabling consistent repurchases and dividend hikes that modestly reduce share count and lift remaining holders’ effective ownership.

M&A and dilution

Bolt-on deals in connectors and flow technologies since 2023 were largely cash/credit financed; occasional share issuance used only when beneficial, limiting long-term dilution to ITT Inc shareholders.

Leadership & governance

CEO Luca Savi leads an experienced team with low direct insider share stakes but meaningful multi-year equity award vesting to align performance with institutional governance expectations.

Street commentary and company guidance point to continued broad institutional ownership, disciplined buybacks tied to valuation and cash generation, and no signs of privatization or dual-class experimentation; monitor passive index flows, active manager rotation, and targeted M&A for future ownership shifts — see Target Market of ITT for related analysis.

ITT Porter's Five Forces Analysis

• Covers All 5 Competitive Forces in Detail
• Structured for Consultants, Students, and Founders
• 100% Editable in Microsoft Word & Excel
• Instant Digital Download – Use Immediately
• Compatible with Mac & PC – Fully Unlocked

GET TEMPLATE ➔