Johnson Controls International Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 19,207 call options on the company. This is an increase of 1,963% compared to the average daily volume of 931 call options.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value of $171,073.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at $2,175,967.19. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 205,168 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.03, for a total value of $18,060,939.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,260,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $110,964,191.81. This represents a 14.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 907,286 shares of company stock valued at $77,938,071. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JCI. Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the first quarter worth $271,000. Cullen Investment Group LTD. boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 87,826 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,036,000 after acquiring an additional 4,924 shares in the last quarter. 111 Capital acquired a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at about $255,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 56,772 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,481,000 after acquiring an additional 3,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,686,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:JCI opened at $82.97 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $82.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $80.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Johnson Controls International has a 12-month low of $59.83 and a 12-month high of $91.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 6.83%. On average, equities analysts expect that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on JCI shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.27.

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.