Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Increases Stock Position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 172.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 44,737 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,339 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $3,531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,156,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,379,562,000 after purchasing an additional 179,743 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,344,374 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,842,571,000 after acquiring an additional 1,325,500 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Johnson Controls International by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,407,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,452,912,000 after acquiring an additional 2,150,573 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 15,743,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,242,597,000 after purchasing an additional 447,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,818,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,087,670,000 after purchasing an additional 343,517 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.72, for a total value of $113,361.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 145,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,599,419.44. This trade represents a 0.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the vice president now owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at $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 907,286 shares of company stock worth $77,938,071 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $74.50 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $80.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.02. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1 year low of $59.83 and a 1 year high of $91.14. The company has a market capitalization of $49.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.22.

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

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th were given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Melius Research restated a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.07.

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.