Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 2,574,684 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 21.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 9,659,610 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,574,684 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $762,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.72, for a total value of $113,361.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 145,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,599,419.44. This trade represents a 0.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 205,168 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.03, for a total value of $18,060,939.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,260,527 shares in the company, valued at $110,964,191.81. This trade represents a 14.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 907,286 shares of company stock worth $77,938,071. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

JCI opened at $82.97 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1 year low of $59.83 and a 1 year high of $91.14. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.78. The firm has a market cap of $54.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on JCI shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays reduced 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 report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $90.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.27.

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.