Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Shares Sold by Strengthening Families & Communities LLC

Strengthening Families & Communities LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 48.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 463 shares of the company’s stock after selling 436 shares during the quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $37,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,444,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,483,104,000 after acquiring an additional 288,576 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,690,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $528,103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,026,623 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,168,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $486,887,000 after acquiring an additional 777,031 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,988,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $472,705,000 after acquiring an additional 59,001 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,741,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,593,000 after acquiring an additional 317,266 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $105.40 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.81. The company has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Johnson Controls International plc has a fifty-two week low of $66.40 and a fifty-two week high of $112.63.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.99 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 9.53% and a return on equity of 14.71%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Friday, June 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 13.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 23rd were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.92%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.13, for a total transaction of $1,546,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 42,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,656.62. This trade represents a 26.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.69, for a total transaction of $147,447.18. Following the sale, the vice president owned 140,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,607,950.89. This represents a 1.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 19,266 shares of company stock valued at $1,986,931. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on JCI shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $103.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $105.17.

About Johnson Controls International

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.