Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Hits New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $97.11 and last traded at $96.10, with a volume of 4950700 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $95.28.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on JCI. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $105.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $81.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.06.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $63.24 billion, a PE ratio of 36.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.28. 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 fifty day moving average price is $81.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.87.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The firm had revenue of $5.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.78 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th were given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.72, for a total value of $113,361.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 145,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,599,419.44. This represents a 0.97% 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, Director George Oliver sold 15,669 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.49, for a total transaction of $1,214,190.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,003,893 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,791,668.57. This trade represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 623,290 shares of company stock worth $53,188,746. Insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TIAA Trust National Association grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 1.0% during the first quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 11,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $908,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 4.3% during the first quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 2,980 shares of the company's stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 1.4% during the first quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,976 shares of the company's stock valued at $739,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Sfmg LLC grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 4.5% during the first quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 2,913 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 6,458 shares of the company's stock valued at $510,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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