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

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

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

NYSE:JCI opened at $83.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.97. Johnson Controls International has a 1-year low of $59.83 and a 1-year high of $91.14. The stock has a market cap of $54.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.76, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32.

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

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total transaction of $108,621.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 148,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,339,568.24. This trade represents a 0.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 205,168 shares of Johnson Controls International 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,260,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $110,964,191.81. This trade represents a 14.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 905,864 shares of company stock valued at $77,824,710. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JCI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $103.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Argus raised Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.27.

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.