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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 19,207 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,963% compared to the typical volume of 931 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com lowered Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.21.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $83.71 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $78.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.89. The stock has a market cap of $55.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.29. Johnson Controls International has a fifty-two week low of $51.70 and a fifty-two week high of $87.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 25th were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 25th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.27%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO George Oliver sold 224,152 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.72, for a total value of $18,541,853.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,166,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $96,533,578.24. This represents a 16.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total transaction of $84,899.25. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 143,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,438,752. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 741,829 shares of company stock valued at $59,952,007. 0.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JCI. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 514.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,391,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $418,439,000 after acquiring an additional 4,514,792 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 686.4% in the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 4,445,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,487,000 after purchasing an additional 3,880,146 shares during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $73,881,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 263.9% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,341,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,197,000 after purchasing an additional 973,145 shares during the period. Finally, Electron Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 81.3% in the 2nd quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,432,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,207,000 after buying an additional 642,315 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.