Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Shares Gap Up to $68.60

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) shares gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $68.60, but opened at $70.42. Johnson Controls International shares last traded at $69.79, with a volume of 869,093 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Johnson Controls International from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.21.

Johnson Controls International Stock Up 1.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $46.59 billion, a PE ratio of 27.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.29. The company’s fifty day moving average is $69.10 and its 200-day moving average is $67.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.06. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 13.64%. The firm had revenue of $7.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 24th were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 24th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.92%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.01, for a total value of $77,033.67. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 104,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,901,741.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,245 shares of company stock valued at $295,442. 0.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in Johnson Controls International by 65.2% during the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 39.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 711 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.