Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Shares Sold by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC reduced its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,519,909 shares of the company’s stock after selling 89,821 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.84% of Johnson Controls International worth $435,686,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JCI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $103.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.27.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total transaction of $171,073.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 24,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,175,967.19. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director George Oliver sold 15,669 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.49, for a total value of $1,214,190.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,003,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,791,668.57. This represents a 1.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 905,864 shares of company stock worth $77,824,710. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

NYSE:JCI opened at $79.64 on Friday. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52 week low of $59.83 and a 52 week high of $91.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $82.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.57. The company has a market capitalization of $52.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (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 expect that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

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.