Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Sets New 1-Year High After Earnings Beat

Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company 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 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is 58.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Argus raised Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Johnson Controls International in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $90.00 price objective for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $90.27.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total transaction of $602,620.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,246 shares in the company, valued at $2,687,704.10. The trade was a 18.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the business’s 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 approximately $11,339,568.24. This represents a 0.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 649,208 shares of company stock worth $54,081,073. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth about $568,309,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 514.9% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,391,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $418,439,000 after acquiring an additional 4,514,792 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 3.4% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 15,295,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,187,084,000 after acquiring an additional 509,293 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 9,843.4% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 484,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,245,000 after acquiring an additional 479,669 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,609,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

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 $58.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day moving average of $80.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.76.

Johnson Controls International Company Profile

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.