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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $90.07.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $90.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius downgraded Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 205,168 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.03, for a total transaction of $18,060,939.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,260,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $110,964,191.81. This trade represents a 14.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total transaction of $171,073.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,175,967.19. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 907,286 shares of company stock valued at $77,938,071 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 32.8% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JCI opened at $76.77 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $50.68 billion, a PE ratio of 29.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.22. Johnson Controls International has a fifty-two week low of $59.83 and a fifty-two week high of $91.14. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $80.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th were issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is 56.49%.

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.