Royal Bank Of Canada Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Stock

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) had its target price boosted by Royal Bank Of Canada from $161.00 to $165.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “sector perform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 6.89% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on JCI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Johnson Controls International from $180.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Johnson Controls International in a report on Thursday, September 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $186.00 price target for the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.86.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JCI traded down $2.11 on Wednesday, hitting $154.36. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,142,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,102,769. Johnson Controls International has a 12-month low of $107.77 and a 12-month high of $160.41. The company has a market capitalization of $93.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $147.68 and a 200-day moving average of $143.38.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.12. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 14.32% and a return on equity of 22.11%. The business had revenue of $6.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.05 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Johnson Controls International will post 5.08 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Lei Schlitz sold 23,417 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.07, for a total value of $3,584,440.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 15,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,298,652.19. This represents a 60.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Virginia Estate & Retirement Planning Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. MFA Wealth Services lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 2,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $497,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 18,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,737,000 after acquiring an additional 1,808 shares during the period. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.3% in the third quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 11,343 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,763,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson Controls International Company Profile

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE: JCI) is a global provider of building technology, products and services. The company helps commercial, institutional and industrial customers improve building performance, energy efficiency, safety and occupant comfort through integrated solutions.

Its offerings include heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems; building automation and controls; fire detection and suppression equipment; security systems; energy management technologies; and related service, maintenance and digital solutions.