Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 19,207 call options on the company. This is an increase of 1,963% compared to the average volume of 931 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Argus upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho increased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.07.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of JCI opened at $80.06 on Friday. Johnson Controls International has a twelve month low of $51.71 and a twelve month high of $87.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.52, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $81.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.15.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.27%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total transaction of $602,620.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 32,246 shares in the company, valued at $2,687,704.10. This represents a 18.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 110,616 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.60, for a total transaction of $9,358,113.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,244,617 shares in the company, valued at $105,294,598.20. The trade was a 8.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 758,588 shares of company stock valued at $62,480,987 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 27.2% during the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 23,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,546,000 after buying an additional 4,973 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,046,000. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 11,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $780,000 after acquiring an additional 1,190 shares during the period. Choreo LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,541,000. Finally, LGT Group Foundation raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 289.9% during the second quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 19,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,266,000 after purchasing an additional 14,164 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.