Great Lakes Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 14,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,166,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International during the second quarter worth about $2,840,000. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $271,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,892,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management LLC Investment Advisor purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $17,374,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 51.3% in the 2nd quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC now owns 230 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 23,417 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.07, for a total value of $3,584,440.19. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 15,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,298,652.19. This represents a 60.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Todd M. Grabowski sold 1,800 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.20, for a total transaction of $263,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 26,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,832,633. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on JCI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Johnson Controls International from $169.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $154.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. HSBC raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $127.00 to $136.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Argus set a $175.00 price target on Johnson Controls International in a report on Friday, August 7th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $155.50.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

JCI stock opened at $143.32 on Friday. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52-week low of $103.82 and a 52-week high of $157.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market cap of $86.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.31. The business has a fifty day moving average of $145.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.78.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $6.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 22.11% and a net margin of 14.32%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International plc will post 5.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.83%.

Johnson Controls International Profile

Johnson Controls International plc is a global diversified technology and multi‑industrial company that develops products, services and solutions for buildings and energy storage. The company’s core focus is on improving building efficiency, safety and sustainability through a combination of HVAC equipment, building controls and automation, fire and security systems, and related services. Johnson Controls traces its roots to 1885, when inventor Warren S. Johnson developed an electric room thermostat; over its long history the company has expanded from controls into a broad set of building‑related technologies and, through corporate transactions, into a global provider of integrated building solutions.

Johnson Controls’ product and service portfolio includes heating, ventilation and air‑conditioning equipment, chillers, air handlers and related mechanical systems, together with building automation and control platforms that monitor and manage energy use, indoor environmental quality and security.