Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Short Interest Down 14.9% in October

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,940,000 shares, a drop of 14.9% from the September 30th total of 10,510,000 shares. Currently, 1.3% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 4,300,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

NYSE:JCI traded down $0.78 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $75.54. 605,162 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,947,253. The company has a market cap of $50.46 billion, a PE ratio of 31.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.29. Johnson Controls International has a 12-month low of $48.53 and a 12-month high of $78.23. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $74.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

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

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 25th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 25th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com cut Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Johnson Controls International from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Twelve investment 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 stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.43.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other news, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.79, for a total value of $8,494,125.85. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,507,639.29. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 3,000 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.08, for a total transaction of $231,240.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 140,488 shares in the company, valued at $10,828,815.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.79, for a total value of $8,494,125.85. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $95,507,639.29. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 226,327 shares of company stock worth $16,916,720. Insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 195.8% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 65.2% during the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 430 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Johnson Controls International by 39.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 711 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the second quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.