MQS Management LLC Takes $284,000 Position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,547 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $284,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $222,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 67.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 88,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,991,000 after acquiring an additional 35,655 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,139 shares of the company's stock worth $485,000 after buying an additional 1,266 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 47.6% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 8,454 shares of the company's stock worth $667,000 after acquiring an additional 2,725 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,041 shares of the company's stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JCI traded up $1.24 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $107.26. 3,841,607 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,348,254. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business's fifty day moving average price is $101.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.47. The company has a market cap of $70.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.60, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.31. Johnson Controls International plc has a 12-month low of $64.31 and a 12-month high of $107.79.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.64 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 10.19% and a return on equity of 15.13%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Friday, June 13th that allows the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 13.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. Johnson Controls International's payout ratio is 39.47%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other news, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.13, for a total transaction of $1,546,950.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 42,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,656.62. This represents a 26.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director George Oliver sold 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.70, for a total value of $9,170,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 904,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,924,768.50. This represents a 9.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 147,555 shares of company stock worth $13,705,106. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JCI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $82.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Oppenheimer cut Johnson Controls International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Vertical Research raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $105.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $102.00.

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.