Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 10,107 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 17.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,600 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,107 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $5,214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, 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 valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of Johnson Controls International stock opened at $77.68 on Friday. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52-week low of $59.83 and a 52-week high of $91.14. The stock has a market cap of $51.28 billion, a PE ratio of 29.65, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $82.34 and a 200-day moving average of $80.79. 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 (NYSE:JCI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JCI has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $90.00 to $103.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Argus raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Citigroup dropped 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 report on Monday, January 13th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total value of $108,621.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 148,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,339,568.24. This trade represents a 0.95 % 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, Director George Oliver sold 15,669 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.49, for a total value of $1,214,190.81. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,003,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,791,668.57. The trade was a 1.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 907,286 shares of company stock worth $77,938,071. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

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.