Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 2,574,684 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 21.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,659,610 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,574,684 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 1.46% of Johnson Controls International worth $762,433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JCI. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at about $568,309,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $560,549,000. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 76.7% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,870,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,422,000 after buying an additional 1,680,431 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,344,374 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,842,571,000 after buying an additional 1,325,500 shares during the period. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 391,951.9% in the 4th quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 1,215,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,936,000 after acquiring an additional 1,215,051 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. Barclays reduced their target price on Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup cut their price target on Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $103.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.27.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

NYSE JCI opened at $82.97 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $82.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $80.78. The firm has a market cap of $54.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1 year low of $59.83 and a 1 year high of $91.14.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO George Oliver sold 162,894 shares of the firm’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 transaction 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 $107,483,567.04. This trade represents a 11.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value of $171,073.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,175,967.19. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 907,286 shares of company stock worth $77,938,071. 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.