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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders purchased 15,233 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 450% compared to the typical volume of 2,768 call options.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Lei Schlitz sold 23,417 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.07, for a total value of $3,584,440.19. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 15,017 shares in the company, valued at $2,298,652.19. This represents a 60.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JCI. NBH Bank purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 51.3% during the 2nd quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC now owns 230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. First Bancorp Inc ME purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Twin Tree Management LP grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 140.9% in the 4th quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $169.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $154.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $171.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Wednesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $155.75.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of JCI traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $141.33. 722,408 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,209,548. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $144.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.27. Johnson Controls International has a 1 year low of $104.49 and a 1 year high of $157.06. The stock has a market cap of $85.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.29.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.12. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 14.32% and a return on equity of 22.11%. The firm had revenue of $6.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.05 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International will post 5.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.83%.

Johnson Controls International Company Profile

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) is a global company focused on building technologies and solutions that improve the efficiency, safety and sustainability of buildings. Its offerings include heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, building automation and controls, fire detection and suppression equipment, security systems, and related digital technologies and services.

The company serves commercial, institutional, industrial and residential customers, helping organizations manage building operations, energy use, indoor air quality and physical security.