Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $90.25 and last traded at $90.78, with a volume of 2861 shares. The stock had previously closed at $89.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on JCI shares. UBS Group upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $103.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.13.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.0 %

The firm has a market cap of $59.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day moving average of $81.62 and a 200 day moving average of $77.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. On average, research analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.52 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.49%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 224,152 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.72, for a total transaction of $18,541,853.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,166,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $96,533,578.24. This represents a 16.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value of $171,073.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,175,967.19. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,113,772 shares of company stock worth $95,772,462 over the last quarter. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at $568,309,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter valued at about $560,549,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Johnson Controls International by 514.9% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,391,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $418,439,000 after acquiring an additional 4,514,792 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,407,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,452,912,000 after purchasing an additional 2,150,573 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 76.7% in the 4th 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% 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.