Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,568 shares of the company’s stock after selling 383 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Cullen Investment Group LTD. acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth $4,098,000. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth $1,825,000. Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc. now owns 50,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,841 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,270,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,244,000 after purchasing an additional 250,400 shares during the period. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 15,837.7% during the 4th quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 121,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,018,000 after purchasing an additional 121,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $64.22 on Wednesday. Johnson Controls International plc has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $70.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $61.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.51. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 7.85% and a return on equity of 13.08%. The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.94 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 25th will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 22nd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. TheStreet upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 26th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $59.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $59.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $60.00 price objective (down previously from $65.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $64.08.

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.