Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Purchases 3,366 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 15.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 24,555 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,366 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $1,967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 6,672 shares of the company's stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 20,029 shares of the company's stock worth $1,605,000 after acquiring an additional 1,408 shares in the last quarter. One Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 1st quarter worth $344,000. Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 1st quarter worth $2,744,000. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 3,661 shares of the company's stock worth $293,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JCI traded up $1.48 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $106.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,337,531 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,723,141. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.60, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.30. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $104.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.92. Johnson Controls International plc has a fifty-two week low of $64.31 and a fifty-two week high of $112.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.06. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 14.71% and a net margin of 9.53%. The company had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.99 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 23rd were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.92%.

Johnson Controls International announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, June 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 13.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JCI has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Oppenheimer cut Johnson Controls International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $103.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $105.17.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.82, for a total transaction of $149,054.04. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 141,860 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,869,765.20. This trade represents a 0.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Marc Vandiepenbeeck sold 28,289 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.92, for a total value of $2,572,035.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 147,673 shares in the company, valued at $13,426,429.16. The trade was a 16.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 146,133 shares of company stock valued at $13,581,520 in the last ninety days. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson Controls International Company 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.