Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Decreases Holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,334 shares of the company’s stock after selling 566 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $1,447,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 101.5% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 26,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,093,000 after acquiring an additional 13,360 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 136.8% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 91,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,082,000 after acquiring an additional 52,719 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,475,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,041,822,000 after acquiring an additional 71,493 shares during the last quarter. BNC Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth about $2,093,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 3rd quarter worth about $7,692,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of JCI opened at $89.47 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $59.06 billion, a PE ratio of 34.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $80.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.08. Johnson Controls International plc has a 12-month low of $54.07 and a 12-month high of $89.95.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 6.83%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd were given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is 56.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value of $171,073.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at $2,175,967.19. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total value of $108,621.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 148,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,339,568.24. The trade was a 0.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 856,326 shares of company stock worth $72,313,086 in the last quarter. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group raised Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $90.00 to $103.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.13.

Johnson Controls International 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.