Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Rating Increased to Buy at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has $88.00 target price on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Mizuho lifted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $80.93.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of Johnson Controls International stock opened at $80.64 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $53.40 billion, a PE ratio of 31.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.31. Johnson Controls International has a 1 year low of $51.71 and a 1 year high of $87.16. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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 stock was sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total value of $602,620.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 32,246 shares in the company, valued at $2,687,704.10. This represents a 18.31 % 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 Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.79, for a total value of $8,494,125.85. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,507,639.29. The trade was a 8.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 761,588 shares of company stock worth $62,711,800 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 514.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,391,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $418,439,000 after purchasing an additional 4,514,792 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 686.4% in the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 4,445,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,487,000 after buying an additional 3,880,146 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 263.9% in the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,341,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,197,000 after acquiring an additional 973,145 shares in the last quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 81.3% during the second quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,432,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,207,000 after acquiring an additional 642,315 shares during the period. Finally, Interval Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 601.5% in the 2nd quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 676,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,979,000 after acquiring an additional 580,212 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by 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.