Clearbridge Investments LLC Has $572.92 Million Stock Position in Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Clearbridge Investments LLC reduced its stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,784,319 shares of the company’s stock after selling 379,557 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $572,922,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ING Groep NV lifted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 273.2% in the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 308,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,893,000 after buying an additional 225,537 shares during the period. Capital International Inc. CA lifted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 76,958 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,216,000 after buying an additional 2,431 shares during the period. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $18,132,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 1,642.9% in the fourth quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 575 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 9,595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,149,000 after buying an additional 407 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 88,809 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.99, for a total value of $12,521,180.91. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 57,059 shares in the company, valued at $8,044,748.41. This represents a 60.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JCI opened at $143.71 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market cap of $87.68 billion, a PE ratio of 25.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.32. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $139.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $129.69. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1-year low of $100.86 and a 1-year high of $148.38.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 14.45% and a return on equity of 19.50%. The firm had revenue of $6.14 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 4.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on JCI shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore started coverage on Johnson Controls International in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $169.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $149.79.

Johnson Controls International Profile

Johnson Controls International plc is a global diversified technology and multi?industrial company that develops products, services and solutions for buildings and energy storage. The company’s core focus is on improving building efficiency, safety and sustainability through a combination of HVAC equipment, building controls and automation, fire and security systems, and related services. Johnson Controls traces its roots to 1885, when inventor Warren S. Johnson developed an electric room thermostat; over its long history the company has expanded from controls into a broad set of building?related technologies and, through corporate transactions, into a global provider of integrated building solutions.

Johnson Controls’ product and service portfolio includes heating, ventilation and air?conditioning equipment, chillers, air handlers and related mechanical systems, together with building automation and control platforms that monitor and manage energy use, indoor environmental quality and security.