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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JCI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America increased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.07.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.1 %

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $80.06 on Thursday. Johnson Controls International has a 12-month low of $51.71 and a 12-month 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.01 billion, a PE ratio of 31.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.32. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $81.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.12.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is 58.27%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the firm’s 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 approximately $2,687,704.10. This trade represents a 18.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.79, for a total transaction of $8,494,125.85. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares in the company, valued at $95,507,639.29. This represents a 8.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 758,588 shares of company stock worth $62,480,987. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 195.8% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 977.3% during the 3rd 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 period. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 169.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 738 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the third quarter worth approximately $61,000. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.