Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Hits New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $110.23 and last traded at $109.74, with a volume of 151840 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $108.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JCI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $116.00 target price (up previously from $103.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $82.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $104.11.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business's fifty day moving average price is $103.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.00.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 10.19% and a return on equity of 15.13%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.78 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 23rd were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.47%.

Johnson Controls International declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Friday, June 13th that permits the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 13.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, Director George Oliver sold 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.70, for a total transaction of $9,170,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 904,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,924,768.50. This trade represents a 9.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president owned 42,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,656.62. This trade represents a 26.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 147,555 shares of company stock valued at $13,705,106 in the last 90 days. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 425.0% in the 1st quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in Johnson Controls International by 74.5% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 363 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in Johnson Controls International by 56.4% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 369 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.