Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Buys Shares of 17,757 Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 17,757 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,402,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JCI. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 101.5% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 26,517 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,093,000 after purchasing an additional 13,360 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 136.8% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 91,248 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,082,000 after buying an additional 52,719 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Johnson Controls International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,475,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,041,822,000 after buying an additional 71,493 shares during the period. BNC Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $2,093,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $7,692,000. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:JCI traded down $0.88 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $76.18. 8,258,488 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,781,046. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $81.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.94. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52-week low of $52.02 and a 52-week high of $87.16. The company has a market capitalization of $50.29 billion, a PE ratio of 29.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.32.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 224,152 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.72, for a total transaction of $18,541,853.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,166,992 shares in the company, valued at $96,533,578.24. This represents a 16.11 % decrease in their position. The sale 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 that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total value of $602,620.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,246 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,687,704.10. This trade represents a 18.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 647,787 shares of company stock worth $53,972,452. 0.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on JCI shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Melius cut Johnson Controls International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com lowered Johnson Controls International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $84.00.

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.