Financial Counselors Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Financial Counselors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,531 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,335 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $1,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 6,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $510,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 18,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,470,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC boosted its position in Johnson Controls International by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in 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 worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 4,444 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on JCI. Argus upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Barclays lowered their price target on Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.27.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE JCI opened at $82.23 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $82.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.43. The company has a market cap of $54.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. Johnson Controls International plc has a 12-month low of $59.83 and a 12-month high of $91.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 6.83%. Research analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.49%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total transaction of $108,621.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 148,346 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value of $171,073.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,175,967.19. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 905,864 shares of company stock valued at $77,824,710. Corporate 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.