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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 19,207 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,963% compared to the average volume of 931 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total value of $108,621.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 148,346 shares in the company, valued at $11,339,568.24. This trade represents a 0.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total transaction of $171,073.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 906,050 shares of company stock worth $77,839,329. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 6,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $510,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 18,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,470,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Johnson Controls International by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 4,444 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $82.91 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $82.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. Johnson Controls International has a 12-month low of $59.83 and a 12-month high of $91.14.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts predict that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on JCI shares. UBS Group raised Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.