Johnson Controls International Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 19,207 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,963% compared to the average volume of 931 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson Controls International news, CEO George Oliver sold 205,168 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.03, for a total transaction of $18,060,939.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,260,527 shares in the company, valued at $110,964,191.81. This trade represents a 14.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total value of $108,621.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 148,346 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,339,568.24. This represents a 0.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 907,286 shares of company stock valued at $77,938,071 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strategic Blueprint LLC raised its stake in Johnson Controls International by 4.3% during the first quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 2,980 shares of the company's stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 6,458 shares of the company's stock worth $510,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 18,621 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC boosted its position in Johnson Controls International by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in 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 worth $43,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson Controls International Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of JCI stock opened at $83.87 on Thursday. Johnson Controls International has a one year low of $59.83 and a one year high of $91.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $79.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.96. The stock has a market cap of $55.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.22.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. Analysts predict that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th were paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $81.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Johnson Controls International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $90.07.

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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