KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Makes New Investment in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 239,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,978,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 39,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,049,000 after buying an additional 5,152 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.4% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 61,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,754,000 after acquiring an additional 1,411 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.8% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 22,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,784,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 3rd quarter valued at $219,000. Finally, Nwam LLC purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 3rd quarter valued at $701,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of JCI opened at $82.64 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.17. The stock has a market cap of $54.55 billion, a PE ratio of 31.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1-year low of $59.83 and a 1-year high of $91.14. 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 (NYSE:JCI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is 56.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on JCI shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Barclays decreased their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Melius downgraded Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.27.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other news, CEO George Oliver sold 162,894 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.28, for a total transaction of $14,543,176.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,203,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $107,483,567.04. This represents a 11.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of Johnson Controls International 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 148,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,339,568.24. This trade represents a 0.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 905,864 shares of company stock worth $77,824,710 in the last three months. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.