Johnson Controls International Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 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

In other Johnson Controls International news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total value of $84,899.25. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 143,488 shares in the company, valued at $10,438,752. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.79, for a total transaction of $8,494,125.85. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $95,507,639.29. The trade was a 8.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 226,141 shares of company stock worth $16,904,519 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of JCI. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 195.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 977.3% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 65.2% in the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 2nd quarter worth about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JCI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays upped their price target on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $90.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.21.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of JCI traded down $0.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $84.40. 3,138,104 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,924,562. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.38 billion, a PE ratio of 33.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.29. Johnson Controls International has a 52-week low of $51.40 and a 52-week high of $87.16. 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 Announces Dividend

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

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.