Brandes Investment Partners LP Trims Position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Brandes Investment Partners LP lessened its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 49.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 301,971 shares of the company's stock after selling 297,340 shares during the quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP's holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $23,835,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 101.5% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 26,517 shares of the company's stock worth $2,093,000 after buying an additional 13,360 shares in the last quarter. Certuity LLC acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter valued at $243,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 136.8% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 91,248 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,082,000 after purchasing an additional 52,719 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 0.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,475,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,041,822,000 after purchasing an additional 71,493 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNC Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $2,093,000. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on JCI. StockNews.com downgraded Johnson Controls International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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, February 6th. Finally, Melius Research restated a "hold" rating and issued a $95.00 price target on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $91.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director George Oliver sold 15,669 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.49, for a total value of $1,214,190.81. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,003,893 shares in the company, valued at $77,791,668.57. The trade was a 1.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total transaction of $171,073.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at $2,175,967.19. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 906,050 shares of company stock worth $77,839,329. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of JCI stock traded up $1.30 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $82.91. The stock had a trading volume of 4,494,940 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,167,463. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $82.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.93. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52-week low of $59.83 and a 52-week high of $91.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.73 billion, a PE ratio of 31.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. Equities analysts expect that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.49%.

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.