Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 2.9% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 86,617 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,456 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $6,939,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new position in Johnson Controls International in the first quarter worth approximately $1,537,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 3,847 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 1st quarter worth $202,000. Heartland Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 1st quarter worth $730,000. Finally, First American Bank lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. First American Bank now owns 41,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,313,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of JCI opened at $104.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $95.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $86.10. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1-year low of $64.31 and a 1-year high of $105.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.78 billion, a PE ratio of 27.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.33.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued 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 company had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.64 billion. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.13% and a net margin of 10.19%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.78 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 23rd will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.47%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

JCI has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 price objective (up previously from $103.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $82.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.88.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.72, for a total transaction of $113,361.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 145,502 shares in the company, valued at $11,599,419.44. The trade was a 0.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 now directly owns 42,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,656.62. The trade was a 26.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 147,555 shares of company stock worth $13,669,414 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.54% 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.