WealthShield Partners LLC Acquires 25,763 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Key Points

• WealthShield Partners LLC increased its stake in Johnson Controls International plc by 92.4% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 53,642 shares valued at approximately $4.31 million.
• Multiple institutional investors, including TIAA Trust and Strategic Blueprint LLC, have also recently adjusted their positions in JCI, with institutional ownership now at 90.05%.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target of $105.17 for Johnson Controls International, with a mix of buy and hold ratings reflecting a neutral outlook amid recent performance and stock price adjustments.

WealthShield Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 92.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,642 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,763 shares during the period. WealthShield Partners LLC's holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $4,306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of JCI. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,444,686 shares of the company's stock worth $5,483,104,000 after acquiring an additional 288,576 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,690,781 shares of the company's stock valued at $528,103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,026,623 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,168,593 shares of the company's stock worth $486,887,000 after purchasing an additional 777,031 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Johnson Controls International by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,988,674 shares of the company's stock worth $472,705,000 after purchasing an additional 59,001 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,561,404 shares of the company's stock valued at $205,194,000 after purchasing an additional 111,347 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JCI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Vertical Research upgraded 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 report on Thursday, May 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $105.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of Johnson Controls International 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 sale, the vice president owned 42,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,390,656.62. This trade represents a 26.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.69, for a total value of $147,447.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 140,881 shares in the company, valued at $14,607,950.89. This trade represents a 1.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 19,266 shares of company stock valued at $1,986,931. Insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of JCI traded up $1.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $105.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,227,770 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,666,734. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1 year low of $66.40 and a 1 year high of $112.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a fifty day moving average of $105.17 and a 200 day moving average of $91.52.

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

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 yield of 1.4%. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.92%.

Johnson Controls International announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Friday, June 13th that permits the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 13.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.