Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Boosts Stock Holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. grew its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,215 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,450 shares during the period. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $1,491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 3.2% during the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 14,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $928,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,139,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,438,000 after purchasing an additional 16,707 shares in the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 1st quarter worth about $7,900,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $165,000. Finally, Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the first quarter worth $13,807,000. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 143,488 shares in the company, valued at $10,438,752. This represents a 0.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of Johnson Controls International 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,383,385.17. The trade was a 8.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 741,829 shares of company stock valued at $59,952,007 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on JCI shares. Barclays raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $90.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.21.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JCI traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $82.81. 130,571 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,873,031. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $78.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.61. The company has a market cap of $54.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.81, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52 week low of $51.70 and a 52 week high of $87.16.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 25th were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 25th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.27%.

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.