Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Sells 417,991 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 34.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 783,613 shares of the company’s stock after selling 417,991 shares during the quarter. Johnson Controls International comprises 1.3% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Johnson Controls International worth $61,851,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JCI has been the topic of several research reports. Melius cut Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Argus upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Barclays lowered their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.07.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.72, for a total value of $113,361.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 145,502 shares in the company, valued at $11,599,419.44. This trade represents a 0.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value of $171,073.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 24,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,175,967.19. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 907,286 shares of company stock worth $77,938,071 over the last three months. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:JCI opened at $78.64 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $51.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.01, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $82.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.81. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52 week low of $59.83 and a 52 week high of $91.14.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 6.83%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.