Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Reaches New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $105.55 and last traded at $105.43, with a volume of 1394875 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $104.44.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup cut their price objective on 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. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $116.00 price objective (up previously from $103.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $97.88.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 0.6%

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 stock has a market capitalization of $69.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.10.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.13% and a net margin of 10.19%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 23rd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.47%.

Johnson Controls International declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.13, for a total value of $1,546,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 42,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,390,656.62. This represents a 26.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director George Oliver sold 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.70, for a total transaction of $9,170,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 904,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $82,924,768.50. This trade represents a 9.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 147,555 shares of company stock worth $13,669,414. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 3,982 shares of the company's stock valued at $319,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 22.4% in the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 5,987 shares of the company's stock valued at $480,000 after buying an additional 1,096 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the first quarter worth about $216,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 24.5% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,946 shares of the company's stock valued at $647,000 after acquiring an additional 1,566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in Johnson Controls International by 10.6% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,722 shares of the company's stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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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