Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders acquired 19,207 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,963% compared to the average daily volume of 931 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $82.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $116.00 price objective (up from $103.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.88.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Anuruddha Rathninde sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 42,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,656.62. This represents a 26.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.91, for a total value of $123,586.02. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 144,704 shares in the company, valued at $12,576,224.64. The trade was a 0.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 147,555 shares of company stock valued at $13,669,414. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JCI. TIAA Trust National Association increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 11,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $908,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.3% during the 1st 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. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 1.4% in the first quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $739,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Sfmg LLC increased its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 2,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of 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 worth $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Up 0.3%

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $103.49 on Friday. Johnson Controls International has a 1-year low of $64.31 and a 1-year high of $104.15. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $90.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.74. 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 market capitalization of $68.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.50, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.33.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 6.83%. The business had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.47%.

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.