StockNews.com Upgrades Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) to Buy

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI – Get Rating) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 13th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 9th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $74.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.43.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of JCI opened at $65.11 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $65.59 and a 200-day moving average of $61.26. Johnson Controls International has a one year low of $45.52 and a one year high of $69.60. The company has a market cap of $44.74 billion, a PE ratio of 35.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 1st. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.01. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 4.98% and a return on equity of 12.51%. The company had revenue of $6.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 3,068 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.43, for a total value of $197,671.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $325,629.22. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 3,068 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.43, for a total transaction of $197,671.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $325,629.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael J. Ellis sold 1,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.16, for a total transaction of $78,995.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,902 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $787,436.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,087 shares of company stock worth $2,154,615. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dodge & Cox increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 64,777,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,101,558,000 after purchasing an additional 2,523,244 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,771,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,941,944,000 after purchasing an additional 224,570 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 39,750,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,956,513,000 after acquiring an additional 371,969 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 27.5% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 17,146,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $820,965,000 after acquiring an additional 3,701,376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,026,982 shares of the company’s stock worth $768,094,000 after acquiring an additional 235,853 shares during the last quarter. 88.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson Controls International Company Profile

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Johnson Controls International Plc engages in the provision of building products, energy solutions, integrated infrastructure and next generation transportation systems. Its technology and service capabilities include fire, security, HVAC, power solutions and energy storage to serve various end markets including large institutions, commercial buildings, retail, industrial, small business and residential.