StockNews.com Downgrades Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on JCI. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Johnson Controls International in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America increased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.43.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

JCI stock opened at $77.10 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of $51.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.29. Johnson Controls International has a 12-month low of $48.13 and a 12-month high of $78.23. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.24.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $7.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.53 billion. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 6.02%. The business’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.03 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Johnson Controls International will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 25th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 25th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is 61.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total value of $84,899.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 143,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,438,752. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total value of $84,899.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 143,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,438,752. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.67, for a total value of $8,038,392.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $90,383,385.17. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 227,494 shares of company stock valued at $16,999,239. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JCI. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 57.4% during the 1st quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 3,244 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 47,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 1st quarter worth about $52,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 28.8% during the 1st quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,282 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 1st quarter worth about $212,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.