Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Decreases Stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lowered its holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 42.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 78,238 shares of the company’s stock after selling 58,500 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $6,268,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. TIAA Trust National Association grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 11,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $908,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 2,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $739,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Sfmg LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 2,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,060 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:JCI opened at $103.53 on Friday. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52-week low of $67.68 and a 52-week high of $112.63. The stock has a market cap of $67.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.72, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $105.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $92.56.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.06. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 14.71% and a net margin of 9.53%. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.99 billion. Equities analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 23rd were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.92%.

Johnson Controls International declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, June 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $9.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 13.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on JCI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $101.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.17.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.13, for a total transaction of $1,546,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 42,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,656.62. This trade represents a 26.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.69, for a total value of $147,447.18. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 140,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,607,950.89. This represents a 1.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,266 shares of company stock valued at $1,986,931. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Johnson Controls International Company 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.