Empowered Funds LLC Increases Stake in Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its Johnson Controls stake by 193.2% in the first quarter, holding 50,721 shares valued at approximately $6.64 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.05% of JCI.
• Johnson Controls reported quarterly EPS of $1.42, beating estimates by $0.12, while revenue rose 9.3% year over year to $6.61 billion. The company also maintains a $0.40 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 1.0% annual yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and a $155.50 target price; JCI shares recently opened at $153.73, near their 52-week high of $157.06.

Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 193.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,721 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 33,420 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $6,642,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of JCI. Strategic Investment Advisors MI raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 5,389 shares of the company's stock worth $645,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,261 shares of the company's stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Lcnb Corp increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Lcnb Corp now owns 2,094 shares of the company's stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 6.9% in the first quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,257 shares of the company's stock worth $165,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.8% in the first quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,888 shares of the company's stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JCI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $127.00 to $136.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $173.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $155.50.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JCI opened at $153.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $93.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $144.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.75. Johnson Controls International plc has a fifty-two week low of $103.07 and a fifty-two week high of $157.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $6.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.46 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 14.32% and a return on equity of 22.11%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Johnson Controls International plc will post 5.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.83%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Todd M. Grabowski sold 1,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.20, for a total transaction of $263,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 26,215 shares in the company, valued at $3,832,633. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 23,417 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.07, for a total transaction of $3,584,440.19. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 15,017 shares in the company, valued at $2,298,652.19. This represents a 60.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source