Traders Purchase Large Volume of Johnson Controls International Call Options (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders bought 19,207 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,963% compared to the average daily volume of 931 call options.

Johnson Controls International Trading Down 0.3 %

JCI stock opened at $76.39 on Thursday. Johnson Controls International has a twelve month low of $47.90 and a twelve month high of $78.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $72.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.46.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $7.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.53 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 13.64%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 25th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.92%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.67, for a total transaction of $8,038,392.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,383,385.17. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Johnson Controls International news, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.67, for a total transaction of $8,038,392.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,243,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,383,385.17. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.71, for a total transaction of $82,518.57. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,866 shares in the company, valued at $7,344,364.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 227,494 shares of company stock worth $16,997,782 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the first quarter worth $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its position in Johnson Controls International by 65.2% in the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 977.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 474 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 39.7% during the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 711 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the second quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JCI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Johnson Controls International from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $61.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $72.50.

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.