Traders Buy High Volume of Johnson Controls International Call Options (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 19,207 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,963% compared to the average volume of 931 call options.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In related news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value of $171,073.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 24,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,175,967.19. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director George Oliver sold 15,669 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.49, for a total transaction of $1,214,190.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,003,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,791,668.57. This represents a 1.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 905,864 shares of company stock worth $77,824,710 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. UBS Group upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Melius cut shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.27.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of JCI stock opened at $83.22 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $82.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.97. Johnson Controls International has a 12-month low of $59.83 and a 12-month high of $91.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market cap of $54.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32.

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

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

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

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.