Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Stock

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) had its target price boosted by Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $105.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

JCI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $87.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Johnson Controls International in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Melius Research restated a “hold” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $90.27.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

NYSE JCI opened at $88.09 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $80.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $76.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Johnson Controls International has a twelve month low of $53.34 and a twelve month high of $88.90. The firm has a market cap of $58.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.32.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued 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 return on equity of 14.51% and a net margin of 6.49%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Johnson Controls International will post 3.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.27%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total value of $602,620.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 32,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,687,704.10. This represents a 18.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 224,152 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.72, for a total transaction of $18,541,853.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,166,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,533,578.24. This trade represents a 16.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 649,208 shares of company stock valued at $54,081,073. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JCI. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 195.8% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 977.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 474 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 430 shares during the period. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

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.