Essential Planning LLC. Makes New Investment in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Essential Planning LLC. bought a new position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 9,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $740,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of JCI. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 32.8% in the fourth 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, Gables Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 132.0% in the fourth quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on JCI. Argus upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $103.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.27.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the company’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 sale, the vice president now owns 148,346 shares in the company, valued at $11,339,568.24. This represents a 0.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 162,894 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.28, for a total value of $14,543,176.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,203,893 shares in the company, valued at approximately $107,483,567.04. This represents a 11.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 706,050 shares of company stock worth $61,972,667 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of JCI stock opened at $77.33 on Friday. Johnson Controls International plc has a fifty-two week low of $59.83 and a fifty-two week high of $91.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.52, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $82.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.61.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

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.