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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,450,000 shares, an increase of 7.5% from the January 15th total of 8,790,000 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 4,090,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Johnson Controls International Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE:JCI traded up $0.87 on Tuesday, hitting $90.64. 3,508,119 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,607,523. The stock has a market cap of $59.83 billion, a PE ratio of 34.59, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.32. Johnson Controls International has a fifty-two week low of $56.28 and a fifty-two week high of $91.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $81.62 and a 200-day moving average of $77.93.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Johnson Controls International will post 3.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is 56.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total value of $108,621.24. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 148,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,339,568.24. This represents a 0.95 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 224,152 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.72, for a total transaction of $18,541,853.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,166,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,533,578.24. The trade was a 16.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,113,772 shares of company stock worth $95,772,462 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 195.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JCI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.13.

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.