Levin Capital Strategies L.P. Increases Holdings in Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 187.2% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 39,188 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,545 shares during the quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $5,726,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,684,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,165,286,000 after purchasing an additional 163,167 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Johnson Controls International by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 22,655,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,712,949,000 after buying an additional 718,245 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Johnson Controls International by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,239,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,064,485,000 after buying an additional 280,704 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 16,003,486 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,916,417,000 after buying an additional 1,837,220 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth $927,739,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.5%

JCI stock opened at $153.73 on Friday. Johnson Controls International plc has a 12 month low of $103.07 and a 12 month high of $157.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $144.91 and its 200 day moving average is $139.75. The company has a market capitalization of $93.12 billion, a PE ratio of 26.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 14.32% and a return on equity of 22.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International plc will post 5.08 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is presently 27.83%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JCI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $140.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $158.00 to $162.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $155.50.

About Johnson Controls International

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.