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

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

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.67, for a total value of $8,038,392.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,383,385.17. The trade was a 8.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.08, for a total transaction of $231,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 140,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,828,815.04. This represents a 2.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 226,141 shares of company stock valued at $16,904,519. Company insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in Johnson Controls International by 195.8% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 977.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 474 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 65.2% during the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the third quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International in the second quarter worth approximately $47,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JCI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $77.21.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JCI traded down $0.74 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $84.40. 3,138,104 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,924,562. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $76.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.51. The company has a market cap of $56.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.46, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Johnson Controls International has a 52 week low of $51.40 and a 52 week high of $87.16.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 25th were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 25th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.27%.

About Johnson Controls International

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.