Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Hits New 1-Year High on Earnings Beat

Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $88.90 and last traded at $86.88, with a volume of 910038 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $77.29.

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 14.51% and a net margin of 6.49%.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is 58.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $87.20.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 110,616 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.60, for a total transaction of $9,358,113.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,244,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,294,598.20. This represents a 8.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total transaction of $602,620.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 32,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,687,704.10. The trade was a 18.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 649,208 shares of company stock valued at $54,081,073. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 6.0% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 136,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,561,000 after purchasing an additional 7,723 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 28.5% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $783,000 after purchasing an additional 2,240 shares during the last quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.3% in the third quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 23,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.0% in the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 17,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,320,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 30.1% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 2,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 11.6 %

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $80.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $76.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.21, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.32.

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.