South Dakota Investment Council Trims Stock Position in Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

South Dakota Investment Council lessened its holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 67.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,900 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 69.8% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 113,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,057,000 after buying an additional 46,459 shares during the last quarter. Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 2nd quarter worth about $304,000. Ethic Inc. lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 112,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,869,000 after buying an additional 3,793 shares during the last quarter. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 2nd quarter worth about $284,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 297,679 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,441,000 after buying an additional 26,333 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 2.1%

JCI stock opened at $110.80 on Wednesday. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52 week low of $68.03 and a 52 week high of $116.48. The company has a market capitalization of $72.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.33. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $108.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Johnson Controls International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 22nd were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 22nd. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from Johnson Controls International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on JCI shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $112.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $124.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $113.41.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.06, for a total value of $149,395.32. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 139,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,651,562.54. This trade represents a 1.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 5,917 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.73, for a total transaction of $625,604.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 25,005 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,643,778.65. This trade represents a 19.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

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.