Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 1,325,500 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,344,374 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,325,500 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 3.54% of Johnson Controls International worth $1,842,571,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of JCI. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter valued at $568,309,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at about $560,549,000. Amundi boosted its position in Johnson Controls International by 76.7% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 3,870,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,422,000 after buying an additional 1,680,431 shares in the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 391,951.9% during the fourth quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 1,215,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,936,000 after buying an additional 1,215,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 500.7% in the fourth quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,048,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,797,000 after acquiring an additional 873,841 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

NYSE JCI opened at $79.64 on Monday. Johnson Controls International plc has a 12-month low of $59.83 and a 12-month high of $91.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $82.95 and its 200-day moving average is $80.64. The company has a market capitalization of $52.57 billion, a PE ratio of 30.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total transaction of $171,073.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total value of $108,621.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 148,346 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,339,568.24. This represents a 0.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 905,864 shares of company stock worth $77,824,710. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Melius cut Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.27.

Johnson Controls International Company Profile

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.