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

Key Points

• Johnson Controls International experienced a significant surge in options trading, with a 1,963% increase in call options to 19,207 on a recent trading day.
• Multiple analysts have adjusted their ratings and price targets for Johnson Controls International, with Goldman Sachs raising its target from $103.00 to $116.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.4%, while also announcing a share repurchase plan worth $9.00 billion.

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders bought 19,207 call options on the company. Thisisanincreaseof1,963% compared to the average volume of 931 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on JCI shares. Oppenheimer lowered Johnson Controls International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $103.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $105.72.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:JCI opened at $105.28 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $68.90 billion, a PE ratio of 31.24, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $106.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.57. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.99 billion. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 14.71% and a net margin of 9.53%. Johnson Controls International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.650-3.680 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 1.140-1.170 EPS. Analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 23rd were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio is 43.92%.

Johnson Controls International declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Friday, June 13th that allows the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 13.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 69.8% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 113,059 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,057,000 after buying an additional 46,459 shares during the last quarter. G&S Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 81.4% during the 1st quarter. G&S Capital LLC now owns 30,342 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,431,000 after buying an additional 13,612 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 27.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,720 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,179,000 after buying an additional 3,201 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2,213.5% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 709,431 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,748,000 after buying an additional 678,766 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 22.4% during the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 5,987 shares of the company's stock valued at $480,000 after buying an additional 1,096 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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