Short Interest in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Expands By 6.5%

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,650,000 shares, an increase of 6.5% from the December 31st total of 9,060,000 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 3,330,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 110,616 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.60, for a total transaction of $9,358,113.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,244,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,294,598.20. This trade represents a 8.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,687,704.10. This trade represents a 18.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 647,787 shares of company stock valued at $53,972,452 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 27,939,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,178,595,000 after purchasing an additional 300,712 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Johnson Controls International by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 15,295,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,187,084,000 after buying an additional 509,293 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Johnson Controls International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,475,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,041,822,000 after buying an additional 71,493 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Johnson Controls International by 514.9% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,391,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $418,439,000 after buying an additional 4,514,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in Johnson Controls International by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 4,735,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $367,495,000 after buying an additional 249,405 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:JCI opened at $77.62 on Tuesday. Johnson Controls International has a 52 week low of $52.79 and a 52 week high of $87.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average is $80.97 and its 200-day moving average is $76.58. The company has a market capitalization of $51.24 billion, a PE ratio of 30.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.32.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JCI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $87.20.

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.