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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 19,207 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 1,963% compared to the average daily volume of 931 call options.

Johnson Controls International Stock Up 0.1%

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $115.84 on Thursday. Johnson Controls International has a twelve month low of $68.03 and a twelve month high of $123.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a 50 day moving average of $113.70 and a 200-day moving average of $108.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.79 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.41.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.31 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 13.95% and a return on equity of 15.35%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.28 EPS. Johnson Controls International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.550-4.55 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.830-0.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on JCI. Hsbc Global Res raised Johnson Controls International to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $124.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $79.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $124.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $124.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $121.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 32,031 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.20, for a total value of $3,625,909.20. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 66,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,559,496. This represents a 32.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Johnson Controls International by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 69,365,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,326,380,000 after acquiring an additional 920,777 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,684,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,165,286,000 after purchasing an additional 163,167 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 3.0% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,223,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,452,909,000 after purchasing an additional 675,862 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 2.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,959,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,864,670,000 after purchasing an additional 354,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 0.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,285,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,501,266,000 after purchasing an additional 120,078 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.