Sentry Investment Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Sentry Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 14.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,565 shares of the company’s stock after selling 418 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 195.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Western Pacific Wealth Management LP purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 0.2 %

JCI opened at $83.87 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.78. The company has a market capitalization of $55.36 billion, a PE ratio of 32.01, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1-year low of $58.15 and a 1-year 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, topping 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 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.13.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 148,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,339,568.24. This represents a 0.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 124,497 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.67, for a total transaction of $10,292,166.99. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,267,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,802,081.72. This trade represents a 8.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 708,700 shares of company stock worth $62,083,088. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.