What To Expect From Johnson Controls Stock Q3 FY2021 Results?

Johnson Controls
JCI
is scheduled to report its Q3 fiscal 2021 results on Friday, July 30. We expect Johnson Controls to likely post revenue and earnings slightly below the consensus estimates. A recovery in economic growth will bode well for Johnson Control’s revenue growth, with a pickup in demand for security as well as HVAC products for the residential market. However, the non-residential market will likely continue to see tepid demand.

Furthermore, our forecast indicates that Johnson Control’s valuation is around $66 per share, which is 7% below the current market price of around $71, implying that the stock is fully valued at the current levels. Our interactive dashboard analysis on Johnson Controls’ Pre-Earnings has additional details.

(1) Revenues expected to be slightly above the consensus estimates

Trefis estimates Johnson Control’s FYQ3 2021 revenues to be around $6.1 billion, slightly below the $6.2 billion consensus estimate. The company’s FYQ3 2020 revenues were down 17%, due to the impact of the lockdowns from the spread of the Covid-19. However, with nearly half of the U.S. population now fully vaccinated, the overall demand has picked up, primarily for the residential end-market, and this should bode well for Johnson Controls top-line expansion in the near term. In fact, the company’s FYQ2 2021 revenues grew 3% to $5.6 billion, led by a rebound in Global Products segment. Our dashboard on Johnson Controls Revenues offers more details on the company’s segments.

2) EPS also likely to be slightly below the consensus estimates

Johnson Controls FYQ3 2021 adjusted earnings per share is expected to be $0.82 per Trefis analysis, compared to $0.83 as per the consensus estimate. Johnson Controls’ adjusted net income of $373 million in FYQ2 2021 reflected an 18% rise from its $717 million figure in the prior-year quarter. This can be attributed to margin expansion, as the company is focused on reducing its COGS, targeting $250 million savings by FY2023. As such, the margins will likely improve going forward. For the full-fiscal 2021, we expect the adjusted EPS to be higher at $2.60 compared to $2.24 in 2020.

(3) Stock price estimate lower than the current market price

Going by our Johnson Controls Valuation, with an EPS estimate of around $2.60 and a P/E multiple of around 25x in fiscal 2021, this translates into a price of $66, which is 7% below the current market price of around $71. Although the 25x figure is higher than levels of around 22x and 18x seen in 2019 and 2020, respectively, the multiple can now see an expansion given that the margins are expected to trend higher over the coming years, bolstering the overall bottom-line expansion.

We know that Johnson Controls is poised to benefit from an economic recovery, with growth in HVAC and security product sales, as well as its margin expansion. However, we believe that these factors are largely priced in the current stock value of $71 per share, in our view, implying there is not much room for growth for JCI stock in the near term. That said, if the company reports upbeat results, with recovery in sales faster than our estimates, and the guidance for the full-year is revised upward, it will result in JCI stock seeing higher levels.

Note: P/E Multiples are based on Share Price at the end of the year and reported (or expected) Adjusted Earnings for the full year

While JCI stock may be fully valued, 2020 has created many pricing discontinuities which can offer attractive trading opportunities. For example, you’ll be surprised how counter-intuitive the stock valuation is for 3M vs. Ingevity.

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