Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Boosts Stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 24.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,189 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,107 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $1,672,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of JCI. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 32.8% in 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. Finally, Gables Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Johnson Controls International by 132.0% in the 4th quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, CEO George Oliver sold 205,168 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at $110,964,191.81. This represents a 14.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of Johnson Controls International 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at $2,175,967.19. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 906,050 shares of company stock worth $77,839,329 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

NYSE JCI opened at $81.46 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $82.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $79.87. 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 $59.83 and a twelve month high of $91.14. The company has a market capitalization of $53.77 billion, a PE ratio of 31.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced 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, research analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on JCI. StockNews.com downgraded Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Melius lowered shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.27.

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.