Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Shares Acquired by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 9.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 79,345 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,647 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $6,356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 67.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 88,569 shares of the company's stock worth $6,991,000 after buying an additional 35,655 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $422,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Johnson Controls International by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 84,643 shares of the company's stock worth $6,681,000 after acquiring an additional 1,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 5,845 shares of the company's stock worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JCI traded up $1.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $106.55. The stock had a trading volume of 2,981,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,322,658. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $70.11 billion, a PE ratio of 28.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. Johnson Controls International plc has a one year low of $64.31 and a one year high of $106.96. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $98.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.86.

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

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.47%.

Johnson Controls International announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Friday, June 13th that allows the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 13.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JCI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $116.00 target price (up previously from $103.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $101.00 to $112.00 in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Vertical Research upgraded Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $105.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $97.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 42,574 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,656.62. This represents a 26.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director George Oliver sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.70, for a total transaction of $9,170,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 904,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $82,924,768.50. This trade represents a 9.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 147,555 shares of company stock valued at $13,705,106 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

About Johnson Controls International

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.