Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. Sells 40,773 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Key Points

• Diamond Hill Capital Management reduced its Johnson Controls International stake by 17.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 40,773 shares and leaving it with 189,141 shares valued at about $22.65 million.
• Several analyst firms adjusted their views on JCI, with target prices ranging from $120 to $170; the overall consensus remains Hold with an average price target of $147.63.
• Johnson Controls recently reported quarterly EPS of $1.19 on revenue of $6.14 billion, and the company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, yielding about 1.2% annually.

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 17.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 189,141 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,773 shares during the quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $22,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 2.5% in the third quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,398 shares of the company's stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 3,427 shares of the company's stock worth $410,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. apricus wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 2,946 shares of the company's stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.7% in the third quarter. MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the company's stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 71.9% in the fourth quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC now owns 239 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on JCI. Barclays lifted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wolfe Research decreased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $161.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $139.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $147.63.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of Johnson Controls International stock opened at $135.43 on Friday. Johnson Controls International plc has a one year low of $96.31 and a one year high of $147.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $82.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $137.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $128.17.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 14.45%.The firm had revenue of $6.14 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts expect that Johnson Controls International plc will post 4.87 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 3,600 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.56, for a total transaction of $513,216.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 24,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,460,358.88. The trade was a 12.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 directly owned 57,059 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,044,748.41. This trade represents a 60.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

About Johnson Controls International

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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