Franklin Resources Inc. Trims Stock Position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,018,874 shares of the company's stock after selling 640,702 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 3.33% of Johnson Controls International worth $1,741,450,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 514.9% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,391,562 shares of the company's stock valued at $418,439,000 after purchasing an additional 4,514,792 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 686.4% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 4,445,418 shares of the company's stock worth $295,487,000 after acquiring an additional 3,880,146 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the second quarter valued at about $73,881,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in Johnson Controls International by 263.9% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,341,919 shares of the company's stock worth $89,197,000 after purchasing an additional 973,145 shares during the period. Finally, Electron Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 81.3% in the second quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,432,335 shares of the company's stock worth $95,207,000 after purchasing an additional 642,315 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on JCI shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Johnson Controls International in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho increased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Johnson Controls International in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $78.57.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

NYSE:JCI traded down $0.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $82.63. The stock had a trading volume of 2,338,093 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,800,175. Johnson Controls International plc has a one year low of $51.71 and a one year high of $87.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $80.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.31.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.27%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.08, for a total value of $231,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 140,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,828,815.04. The trade was a 2.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 110,616 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.60, for a total transaction of $9,358,113.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,244,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $105,294,598.20. This represents a 8.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 872,389 shares of company stock valued at $70,763,920. Insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

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.