Barclays PLC Sells 1,324,662 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Key Points

• Barclays PLC reduced its stake in Johnson Controls International by 31.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 1,324,662 shares and ending with 2,869,236 shares valued at about $343.6 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with other funds making mixed moves and overall institutional investors holding 90.05% of JCI shares.
• Analysts are broadly positive on the stock, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.85; the shares recently traded at $144.83 and the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share.

Barclays PLC lessened its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 31.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,869,236 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,324,662 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.47% of Johnson Controls International worth $343,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Regents Gate Capital LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 17.4% in the third quarter. Regents Gate Capital LLP now owns 86,144 shares of the company's stock worth $9,472,000 after buying an additional 12,774 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 23.7% in the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 75,021 shares of the company's stock worth $8,249,000 after buying an additional 14,354 shares in the last quarter. Bright Futures Wealth Management LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the third quarter worth about $583,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,276,753 shares of the company's stock worth $274,235,000 after buying an additional 142,429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the third quarter worth about $2,345,000. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JCI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Evercore started coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $171.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $152.85.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 88,809 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.99, for a total value of $12,521,180.91. Following the sale, the vice president owned 57,059 shares in the company, valued at $8,044,748.41. The trade was a 60.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Todd M. Grabowski sold 1,800 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.20, for a total transaction of $263,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 26,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,832,633. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Johnson Controls International Trading Down 0.1%

JCI stock opened at $144.83 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $88.36 billion, a PE ratio of 25.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.33. Johnson Controls International plc has a one year low of $100.86 and a one year high of $149.10. The company's 50 day moving average price is $140.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 14.45% and a return on equity of 19.50%. The firm had revenue of $6.14 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 4.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.62%.

Johnson Controls International Company Profile

Johnson Controls International plc is a global diversified technology and multi‑industrial company that develops products, services and solutions for buildings and energy storage. The company's core focus is on improving building efficiency, safety and sustainability through a combination of HVAC equipment, building controls and automation, fire and security systems, and related services. Johnson Controls traces its roots to 1885, when inventor Warren S. Johnson developed an electric room thermostat; over its long history the company has expanded from controls into a broad set of building‑related technologies and, through corporate transactions, into a global provider of integrated building solutions.

Johnson Controls' product and service portfolio includes heating, ventilation and air‑conditioning equipment, chillers, air handlers and related mechanical systems, together with building automation and control platforms that monitor and manage energy use, indoor environmental quality and security.

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