Heartland Bank & Trust Co Invests $1.30 Million in Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Heartland Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,301,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,233,000. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth about $2,712,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth about $16,426,000. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 536.4% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd now owns 21,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,515,000 after purchasing an additional 17,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ABN Amro Investment Solutions purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the first quarter valued at approximately $8,863,000. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup upped their price target on Johnson Controls International from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $140.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $171.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Argus set a $175.00 target price on Johnson Controls International in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $154.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $155.50.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of JCI opened at $143.32 on Friday. Johnson Controls International plc has a twelve month low of $103.82 and a twelve month high of $157.06. The company has a market capitalization of $86.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $145.22 and a 200 day moving average of $140.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.12. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 22.11% and a net margin of 14.32%.The business had revenue of $6.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.05 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International plc will post 5.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.83%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Todd M. Grabowski sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.20, for a total transaction of $263,160.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 26,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,832,633. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 23,417 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.07, for a total transaction of $3,584,440.19. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 15,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,298,652.19. The trade was a 60.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.