Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Raises Stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 172.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,737 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,339 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $3,531,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MML Investors Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 57.6% during the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 135,161 shares of the company's stock worth $10,668,000 after acquiring an additional 49,378 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 176,799 shares of the company's stock worth $13,955,000 after acquiring an additional 3,111 shares during the period. Ossiam bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth $140,000. Norinchukin Bank The grew its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 29,960 shares of the company's stock worth $2,365,000 after acquiring an additional 2,490 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Inc. CA grew its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 106,136 shares of the company's stock worth $8,377,000 after acquiring an additional 18,213 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson Controls International

In other news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value of $171,073.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 24,803 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,175,967.19. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 205,168 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.03, for a total transaction of $18,060,939.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,260,527 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $110,964,191.81. This represents a 14.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 907,286 shares of company stock valued at $77,938,071 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of JCI stock traded up $0.84 on Friday, hitting $81.20. 2,920,556 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,444,812. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.02. Johnson Controls International plc has a one year low of $59.83 and a one year high of $91.14. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $80.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.22.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. Equities analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Johnson Controls International's payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on JCI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $81.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays cut their target price on Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup cut their target price 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. Melius Research restated a "hold" rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Melius downgraded Johnson Controls International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $95.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $90.07.

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.