Rafferty Asset Management LLC Buys 6,386 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 62,400 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,386 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $4,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Certuity LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $243,000. BNC Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,093,000. Seros Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $561,000. Harrell Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 46,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,639,000 after purchasing an additional 4,301 shares during the period. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 419.7% during the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 15,547 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on JCI shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $82.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $82.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $101.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.35.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of Johnson Controls International stock opened at $97.89 on Monday. Johnson Controls International plc has a fifty-two week low of $64.31 and a fifty-two week high of $97.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.28. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $82.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.33.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The firm had revenue of $5.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.47%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other news, CFO Marc Vandiepenbeeck sold 28,289 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.92, for a total transaction of $2,572,035.88. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 147,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,426,429.16. The trade was a 16.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 129,263 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.55, for a total transaction of $10,799,923.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,203,893 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,585,260.15. This trade represents a 9.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 460,396 shares of company stock worth $38,645,569. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International 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.