Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. decreased its position in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 11.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 408,741 shares of the company’s stock after selling 51,925 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $23,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Headinvest LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, West Paces Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

JCI stock traded up $0.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $65.11. The stock had a trading volume of 6,348,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,543,447. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Johnson Controls International plc has a twelve month low of $47.90 and a twelve month high of $70.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $62.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.87.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.51. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 13.08% and a net margin of 7.85%. The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS. Johnson Controls International’s revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 25th were issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 22nd. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is 48.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on JCI. Argus downgraded Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Mizuho downgraded Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $62.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. HSBC downgraded Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $60.00 price target (down from $65.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $64.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.50.

Johnson Controls International 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.