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

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

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.1 %

JCI stock opened at $80.06 on Thursday. Johnson Controls International has a one year low of $51.71 and a one year high of $87.16. The company has a market capitalization of $53.01 billion, a PE ratio of 31.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.32. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $81.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson Controls International

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 110,616 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.60, for a total transaction of $9,358,113.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,244,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,294,598.20. This trade represents a 8.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were 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 $2,687,704.10. This trade represents a 18.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 758,588 shares of company stock worth $62,480,987. 0.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JCI. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 28,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,208,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 11,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $935,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 4,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.6% during the second quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 3,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 1.0% in the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 17,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,320,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Argus upgraded Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $81.07.

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.