Brandes Investment Partners LP Sells 297,340 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Brandes Investment Partners LP reduced its stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 49.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 301,971 shares of the company’s stock after selling 297,340 shares during the quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $23,835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 27,939,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,178,595,000 after buying an additional 300,712 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 15,743,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,242,597,000 after purchasing an additional 447,513 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,475,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,041,822,000 after purchasing an additional 71,493 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at $568,309,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:JCI opened at $79.78 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $52.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Johnson Controls International plc has a 12-month low of $59.83 and a 12-month high of $91.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.67.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total transaction of $108,621.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 148,346 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,339,568.24. This trade represents a 0.95 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value of $171,073.50. Following the sale, the vice president now 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. Insiders sold a total of 906,050 shares of company stock valued at $77,839,329 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on JCI shares. Barclays reduced their target price on Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group raised Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $90.00 to $103.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Argus raised Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.27.

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.