Plato Investment Management Ltd Takes $1.89 Million Position in Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 13,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,892,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,684,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,165,286,000 after purchasing an additional 163,167 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 22,655,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,712,949,000 after purchasing an additional 718,245 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Johnson Controls International by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,239,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,064,485,000 after purchasing an additional 280,704 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Johnson Controls International by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 16,003,486 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,916,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,837,220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $927,739,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 23,417 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.07, for a total value of $3,584,440.19. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 15,017 shares in the company, valued at $2,298,652.19. The trade was a 60.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Todd M. Grabowski sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.20, for a total value of $263,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 26,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,832,633. The trade was a 6.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on JCI. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $127.00 to $136.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $158.00 to $162.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $155.50.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:JCI opened at $153.96 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $93.26 billion, a PE ratio of 26.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $145.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.19. Johnson Controls International plc has a fifty-two week low of $103.07 and a fifty-two week high of $157.06.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.46 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 14.32% and a return on equity of 22.11%. The company’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.05 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 5.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.83%.

Johnson Controls International Company 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.