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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders purchased 19,207 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,963% compared to the average daily volume of 931 call options.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JCI traded down $1.00 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $80.07. 5,576,720 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,634,555. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $82.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $79.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.86 billion, a PE ratio of 30.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. Johnson Controls International has a 12 month low of $59.83 and a 12 month high of $91.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 205,168 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.03, for a total transaction of $18,060,939.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,260,527 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $110,964,191.81. This represents a 14.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total transaction of $171,073.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 24,803 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,175,967.19. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 837,777 shares of company stock valued at $72,867,455. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JCI. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $568,309,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $560,549,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 514.9% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,391,562 shares of the company's stock worth $418,439,000 after purchasing an additional 4,514,792 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,407,597 shares of the company's stock worth $1,452,912,000 after purchasing an additional 2,150,573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Johnson Controls International by 76.7% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,870,478 shares of the company's stock valued at $309,422,000 after acquiring an additional 1,680,431 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius downgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $95.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $88.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $91.13.

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.