Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $879,000 Stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 22.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,132 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,297 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $879,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of JCI. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth $568,309,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth $560,549,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,407,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,452,912,000 after purchasing an additional 2,150,573 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 76.7% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 3,870,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,422,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680,431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,344,374 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,842,571,000 after purchasing an additional 1,325,500 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JCI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $82.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.35.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:JCI opened at $96.65 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $81.89 and its 200-day moving average is $82.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.02. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52 week low of $64.31 and a 52 week high of $97.11. The firm has a market cap of $63.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.28.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.64 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson Controls International

In related news, Director George Oliver sold 184,331 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.49, for a total transaction of $14,652,471.19. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,019,562 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,044,983.38. This trade represents a 15.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.72, for a total transaction of $113,361.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 145,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,599,419.44. This trade represents a 0.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 460,396 shares of company stock valued at $38,645,569. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Company Profile

Johnson Controls International plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in engineering, manufacturing, commissioning, and retrofitting building products and systems in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates in four segments: Building Solutions North America, Building Solutions EMEA/LA, Building Solutions Asia Pacific, and Global Products.