Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Shares Bought by Inspire Trust Co. N.A.

Inspire Trust Co. N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 19.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 67,000 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,000 shares during the period. Johnson Controls International accounts for approximately 1.3% of Inspire Trust Co. N.A.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Inspire Trust Co. N.A.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $5,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in JCI. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $222,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 67.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 88,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,991,000 after buying an additional 35,655 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 16,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,270,000 after buying an additional 1,992 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $225,000. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 154,391 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,186,000 after buying an additional 21,339 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 0.7%

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $105.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1-year low of $67.68 and a 1-year high of $112.63. The company has a market cap of $69.32 billion, a PE ratio of 31.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $105.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.18.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.06. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 14.71% and a net margin of 9.53%. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.99 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, June 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 13.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 23rd were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is presently 43.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.69, for a total transaction of $147,447.18. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 140,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,607,950.89. The trade was a 1.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.13, for a total value of $1,546,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 42,574 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,656.62. This represents a 26.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,266 shares of company stock worth $1,986,931. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JCI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 target price (up from $103.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Vertical Research upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.17.

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.