Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Shares Bought by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 89.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,261 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,422 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $582,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of JCI. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the first quarter worth $32,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Gables Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 132.0% during the fourth quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 580 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JCI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $116.00 target price (up previously from $103.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup cut their price target on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $97.88.

Johnson Controls International Trading Down 1.3%

JCI traded down $1.38 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $102.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,516,991 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,305,162. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $67.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.23, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $93.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.58. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52-week low of $64.31 and a 52-week high of $105.19.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.64 billion. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.13% and a net margin of 10.19%. The firm's revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.78 EPS. On average, 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 23rd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.47%.

Johnson Controls International declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program 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 programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson Controls International

In other news, CFO Marc Vandiepenbeeck sold 28,289 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.92, for a total transaction of $2,572,035.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 147,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,426,429.16. The trade was a 16.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.91, for a total value of $123,586.02. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 144,704 shares in the company, valued at $12,576,224.64. This trade represents a 0.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 147,555 shares of company stock worth $13,669,414 in the last 90 days. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.