Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Johnson Controls International (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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on JCI shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on 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. StockNews.com downgraded Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Argus raised Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $82.53.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $82.13 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.33, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $81.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.03. Johnson Controls International has a 52 week low of $52.02 and a 52 week high of $87.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson Controls International

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 124,497 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.67, for a total value of $10,292,166.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,267,716 shares in the company, valued at $104,802,081.72. The trade was a 8.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 value of $602,620.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 32,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 647,787 shares of company stock worth $53,972,452. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BSW Wealth Partners purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter valued at about $217,000. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 419.7% during the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,549,000 after acquiring an additional 15,547 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter valued at about $201,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 70,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,567,000 after buying an additional 8,860 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 10,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $788,000 after buying an additional 1,275 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

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.