Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Johnson Controls International experienced a significant increase in short interest, rising by 299.9% to 28,270,000 shares as of August 15th, with approximately 4.3% of the company's stock currently short sold.
• Goldman Sachs raised its price target for JCI shares from $103.00 to $116.00, indicating a strong outlook with a "buy" rating, while other analysts also adjusted their targets upward.
• Insiders sold a total of 17,844 shares worth $1,843,451 in the last ninety days, signaling a potential decrease in confidence from company executives regarding stock performance.

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 28,270,000 shares, agrowthof299.9% from the July 31st total of 7,070,000 shares. Approximately4.3% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 4,900,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.8 days. Based on an average daily volume of 4,900,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.8 days. Approximately4.3% of the company's stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on JCI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $103.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Vertical Research raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $101.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $105.72.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.69, for a total value of $147,447.18. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 140,881 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,607,950.89. The trade was a 1.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.13, for a total transaction of $1,546,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 42,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,656.62. The trade was a 26.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,844 shares of company stock worth $1,843,451. Insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JCI. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter valued at $222,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 67.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 88,569 shares of the company's stock worth $6,991,000 after purchasing an additional 35,655 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 34,530 shares of the company's stock worth $2,725,000 after purchasing an additional 5,308 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the company's stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 54.4% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 181,142 shares of the company's stock worth $14,298,000 after purchasing an additional 63,796 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

JCI stock traded down $1.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $104.91. 850,443 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,737,608. The firm has a market cap of $68.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.16, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $106.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.49. Johnson Controls International has a 1-year low of $67.68 and a 1-year high of $112.63.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.99 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 9.53% and a return on equity of 14.71%. Johnson Controls International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.650-3.680 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 1.140-1.170 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.92%.

Johnson Controls International declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, June 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 13.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.

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