Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Trims Stake in Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. reduced its stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 1.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 276,530 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,760 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $36,212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,684,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,165,286,000 after acquiring an additional 163,167 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 22,655,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,712,949,000 after acquiring an additional 718,245 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $2,064,485,000 after acquiring an additional 280,704 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 16,003,486 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,916,417,000 after acquiring an additional 1,837,220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth about $927,739,000. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $154.00 price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $176.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Todd M. Grabowski sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.20, for a total value of $263,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 26,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,832,633. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 88,809 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.99, for a total transaction of $12,521,180.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 57,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,044,748.41. The trade was a 60.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

NYSE:JCI opened at $145.06 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $88.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.95, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.30. Johnson Controls International plc has a 1 year low of $102.09 and a 1 year high of $151.18. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $141.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $133.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 14.45%.The firm had revenue of $6.14 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International plc will post 4.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.62%.

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.