Schroder Investment Management Group Cuts Stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Schroder Investment Management Group cut its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 31.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 323,828 shares of the company’s stock after selling 147,793 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $25,560,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 14.1% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 28,321 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,198,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 80.9% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 5,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 6,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 825 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Johnson Controls International by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 703,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,631,000 after purchasing an additional 5,551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 124,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,651,000 after buying an additional 4,777 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JCI opened at $82.97 on Thursday. 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.77 billion, a PE ratio of 31.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $82.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.78.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 expect that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued 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 1.78%. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is 56.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 24,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,175,967.19. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 162,894 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,203,893 shares in the company, valued at approximately $107,483,567.04. The trade was a 11.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 907,286 shares of company stock valued at $77,938,071 in the last ninety days. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on JCI. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Melius Research restated a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.27.

Johnson Controls International Company 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.