Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $91.13.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com cut Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th.

Johnson Controls International Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of JCI stock opened at $90.36 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Johnson Controls International has a 1-year low of $56.28 and a 1-year high of $91.14. The company has a market cap of $59.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.49, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $81.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.18.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 6.83%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.49%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other news, CEO George Oliver sold 162,894 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.28, for a total transaction of $14,543,176.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,203,893 shares in the company, valued at approximately $107,483,567.04. This represents a 11.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total value of $602,620.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 32,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,687,704.10. The trade was a 18.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 889,434 shares of company stock worth $77,215,058. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 101.5% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 26,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,093,000 after acquiring an additional 13,360 shares in the last quarter. Certuity LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at about $243,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in Johnson Controls International by 136.8% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 91,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,082,000 after purchasing an additional 52,719 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Johnson Controls International by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,475,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,041,822,000 after purchasing an additional 71,493 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNC Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,093,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

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.