Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Johnson Controls International plc $JCI

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,321,830 shares of the company’s stock after selling 41,163 shares during the quarter. Johnson Controls International accounts for about 2.6% of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $158,289,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,684,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,165,286,000 after purchasing an additional 163,167 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 22,655,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,712,949,000 after purchasing an additional 718,245 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,239,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,064,485,000 after purchasing an additional 280,704 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at $927,739,000. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,535,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $828,526,000 after purchasing an additional 19,550 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Todd M. Grabowski sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.20, for a total value of $263,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 26,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,832,633. This represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 88,809 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.99, for a total value of $12,521,180.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 57,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,044,748.41. The trade was a 60.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $145.39 on Wednesday. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52 week low of $100.86 and a 52 week high of $149.23. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $140.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $131.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market cap of $88.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.01, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.32.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 14.45%.The business had revenue of $6.14 billion during the quarter. On average, research analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International plc will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is presently 28.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JCI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $140.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $154.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $152.85.

Johnson Controls International Profile

Johnson Controls International plc is a global diversified technology and multi?industrial company that develops products, services and solutions for buildings and energy storage. The company’s core focus is on improving building efficiency, safety and sustainability through a combination of HVAC equipment, building controls and automation, fire and security systems, and related services. Johnson Controls traces its roots to 1885, when inventor Warren S. Johnson developed an electric room thermostat; over its long history the company has expanded from controls into a broad set of building?related technologies and, through corporate transactions, into a global provider of integrated building solutions.

Johnson Controls’ product and service portfolio includes heating, ventilation and air?conditioning equipment, chillers, air handlers and related mechanical systems, together with building automation and control platforms that monitor and manage energy use, indoor environmental quality and security.