Simmons Bank Increases Stock Position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Simmons Bank raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,245 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the period. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $256,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the third quarter worth $7,692,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 14.2% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 26,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,077,000 after buying an additional 3,334 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.6% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 53,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,131,000 after buying an additional 1,347 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 195.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $234,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total transaction of $171,073.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at $2,175,967.19. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 124,497 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.67, for a total value of $10,292,166.99. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,267,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,802,081.72. This trade represents a 8.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 837,963 shares of company stock valued at $72,883,012. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:JCI opened at $84.24 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.61 billion, a PE ratio of 32.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Johnson Controls International plc has a twelve month low of $59.05 and a twelve month high of $91.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.86.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is 56.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays increased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Argus upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.13.

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.