Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. Buys 644 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 278.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 875 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 644 shares during the quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $69,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 101.5% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 26,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,093,000 after purchasing an additional 13,360 shares in the last quarter. Certuity LLC purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $243,000. BNC Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,093,000. Seros Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $561,000. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 144,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,432,000 after acquiring an additional 8,758 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Stock Up 3.9 %

Shares of NYSE JCI opened at $87.19 on Friday. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52-week low of $60.04 and a 52-week high of $91.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.28, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $79.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 6.83%. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th were issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.07.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total value of $108,621.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 148,346 shares in the company, valued at $11,339,568.24. The trade was a 0.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total transaction of $171,073.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 24,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,175,967.19. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 907,286 shares of company stock valued at $77,938,071. Company 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.