Machina Capital S.A.S. Invests $2.74 Million in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 34,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,744,000. Johnson Controls International accounts for approximately 0.8% of Machina Capital S.A.S.'s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of JCI. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Winthrop Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 3.2% in the first quarter. Winthrop Capital Management LLC now owns 10,398 shares of the company's stock valued at $833,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 1.2% in the first quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 12,126 shares of the company's stock valued at $971,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the first quarter valued at about $968,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 16.7% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,272 shares of the company's stock worth $743,000 after buying an additional 1,326 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on JCI shares. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $116.00 price target (up previously from $103.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Vertical Research raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $101.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $103.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.11.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

JCI traded up $1.83 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $111.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,130,778 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,956,660. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $103.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $90.00. The stock has a market cap of $73.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.83, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.31. Johnson Controls International plc has a twelve month low of $64.31 and a twelve month high of $112.00.

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

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 23rd were given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.47%.

Johnson Controls International declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Friday, June 13th that permits the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 13.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.82, for a total value of $149,054.04. Following the sale, the vice president owned 141,860 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,869,765.20. The trade was a 0.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Marc Vandiepenbeeck sold 28,289 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 147,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,426,429.16. This represents a 16.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 147,555 shares of company stock worth $13,705,106 over the last quarter. 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.