Optas LLC Grows Stock Position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Optas LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,709 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the quarter. Optas LLC’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $293,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 0.4% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 28,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,208,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 6,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $510,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 32.8% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 4,444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JCI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $87.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $87.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO George Oliver sold 110,616 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.60, for a total transaction of $9,358,113.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,244,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $105,294,598.20. This represents a 8.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total transaction of $108,621.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 148,346 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,339,568.24. The trade was a 0.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 649,208 shares of company stock valued at $54,081,073. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

JCI opened at $77.35 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.45, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $80.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $76.63. Johnson Controls International plc has a 12-month low of $52.79 and a 12-month high of $87.16.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is currently 58.27%.

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.