Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. Sells 40,773 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 17.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 189,141 shares of the company’s stock after selling 40,773 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $22,650,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JCI. Viking Global Investors LP grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 368.5% during the 3rd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 6,796,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $747,324,000 after buying an additional 5,346,130 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 140.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,575,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $483,281,000 after buying an additional 2,675,157 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 23.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,519,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $386,994,000 after buying an additional 665,782 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 148.1% during the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 832,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,973,000 after buying an additional 497,221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interval Partners LP grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 793.0% during the 3rd quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 513,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,448,000 after buying an additional 455,907 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 88,809 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.99, for a total value of $12,521,180.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 57,059 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,044,748.41. This represents a 60.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 3,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.56, for a total value of $513,216.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 24,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,460,358.88. The trade was a 12.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on JCI. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $137.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $147.63.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of Johnson Controls International stock opened at $135.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $137.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.23, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.37. Johnson Controls International plc has a 12 month low of $96.31 and a 12 month high of $147.32.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $6.14 billion during the quarter. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 14.45%. As a group, analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 4.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.62%.

About Johnson Controls International

Johnson Controls International plc is a global diversified technology and multi‑industrial company that develops products, services and solutions for buildings and energy storage. The company’s core focus is on improving building efficiency, safety and sustainability through a combination of HVAC equipment, building controls and automation, fire and security systems, and related services. Johnson Controls traces its roots to 1885, when inventor Warren S. Johnson developed an electric room thermostat; over its long history the company has expanded from controls into a broad set of building‑related technologies and, through corporate transactions, into a global provider of integrated building solutions.

Johnson Controls’ product and service portfolio includes heating, ventilation and air‑conditioning equipment, chillers, air handlers and related mechanical systems, together with building automation and control platforms that monitor and manage energy use, indoor environmental quality and security.