Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Shares Sold by ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd

ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd cut its position in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,133,680 shares of the company's stock after selling 81,681 shares during the quarter. Johnson Controls International accounts for 2.8% of ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd owned approximately 0.17% of Johnson Controls International worth $90,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Blueprint LLC raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 4.3% during the first quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 2,980 shares of the company's stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 1.4% during the first quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,976 shares of the company's stock worth $739,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 2.7% during the first quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,060 shares of the company's stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 5.2% during the first quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 2,714 shares of the company's stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 1.2% during the first quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 12,126 shares of the company's stock worth $971,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE JCI traded up $1.83 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $111.85. The stock had a trading volume of 4,130,778 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,956,660. The company has a market capitalization of $73.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.83, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.31. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1-year low of $64.31 and a 1-year high of $112.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $103.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.93.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.13% and a net margin of 10.19%. The company's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Friday, June 13th that allows the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 13.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 23rd were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 42,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,656.62. This trade represents a 26.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Marc Vandiepenbeeck sold 28,289 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.92, for a total value of $2,572,035.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 147,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,426,429.16. The trade was a 16.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 147,555 shares of company stock valued at $13,705,106. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on JCI. Vertical Research raised Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $105.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $103.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $101.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.11.

Johnson Controls International 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.