Merit Financial Group LLC Purchases 28,266 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 218.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,229 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 28,266 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $3,303,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 104,027.0% in the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 38,527 shares of the company's stock worth $3,086,000 after acquiring an additional 38,490 shares in the last quarter. Iowa State Bank purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the first quarter worth $1,527,000. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.7% in the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 151,623 shares of the company's stock worth $12,147,000 after purchasing an additional 6,784 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.1% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,194,192 shares of the company's stock worth $95,667,000 after purchasing an additional 24,699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bowman & Co S.C. raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 6.2% in the first quarter. Bowman & Co S.C. now owns 19,441 shares of the company's stock worth $1,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,136 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on JCI. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Robert W. Baird boosted 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 decreased 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $101.00 to $112.00 in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $97.88.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Johnson Controls International stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $102.27. 3,363,267 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,284,061. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The business's 50-day moving average is $87.01 and its 200-day moving average is $83.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.30 billion, a PE ratio of 39.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.28. Johnson Controls International plc has a 12-month low of $64.31 and a 12-month high of $106.00.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.05. The business 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 15.11% and a net margin of 6.83%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th were given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International's payout ratio is 39.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director George Oliver sold 15,669 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.49, for a total value of $1,214,190.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,003,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at $77,791,668.57. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.90, for a total value of $143,479.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 143,282 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,457,153.80. This trade represents a 0.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 332,555 shares of company stock worth $27,989,126 over the last quarter. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.