Johnson Controls International plc $JCI Shares Purchased by Empowered Funds LLC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Johnson Controls International plc by 8.5%, owning 47,656 shares worth $3.8 million as of the end of the 1st quarter.
• The board of Johnson Controls International approved a $9 billion stock buyback program, indicating that it views its shares as undervalued.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.40 per share, up from $0.37, representing a 1.5% dividend yield.

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 8.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 47,656 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,734 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $3,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TIAA Trust National Association grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 1.0% during the first quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 11,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $908,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC lifted 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 valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted 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 valued at $739,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Sfmg LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 4.5% during the first quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 2,913 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 56.4% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 369 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of JCI traded up $0.26 during trading on Monday, reaching $107.79. 4,277,722 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,137,854. Johnson Controls International plc has a twelve month low of $68.03 and a twelve month high of $112.63. The stock has a market cap of $70.54 billion, a PE ratio of 31.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $106.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.06. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 9.53% and a return on equity of 14.71%. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.99 billion. Johnson Controls International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.650-3.680 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 1.140-1.170 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Johnson Controls International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 22nd. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.92%.

Johnson Controls International declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, June 13th that allows the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 13.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on JCI shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $110.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Thursday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $103.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $105.72.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.06, for a total transaction of $149,395.32. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 139,459 shares in the company, valued at $14,651,562.54. This trade represents a 1.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 5,917 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.73, for a total transaction of $625,604.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 25,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,643,778.65. This trade represents a 19.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,183 shares of company stock valued at $1,071,501. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

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.