Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,650,000 shares, a growth of 6.5% from the December 15th total of 9,060,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days. Currently, 1.5% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Johnson Controls International Stock Up 1.1 %

JCI stock opened at $81.34 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $53.86 billion, a PE ratio of 32.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.82. Johnson Controls International has a fifty-two week low of $52.02 and a fifty-two week high of $87.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is currently 58.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total value of $602,620.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,687,704.10. This represents a 18.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 124,497 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.67, for a total value of $10,292,166.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,267,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,802,081.72. This trade represents a 8.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 647,787 shares of company stock worth $53,972,452. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 195.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 977.3% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 474 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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 research report on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Johnson Controls International in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $82.53.

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.