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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in 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. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,090,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days. Currently, 1.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JCI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird boosted 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 report on Thursday, November 7th. Melius cut 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. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Johnson Controls International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $91.13.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other news, CEO George Oliver sold 162,894 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.28, for a total transaction of $14,543,176.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,203,893 shares in the company, valued at $107,483,567.04. The trade was a 11.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total transaction of $171,073.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 719,004 shares of company stock valued at $62,950,067. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in Johnson Controls International by 195.8% during the 3rd 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. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Johnson Controls International Trading Down 4.1 %

NYSE JCI traded down $3.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $85.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,748,476 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,509,988. Johnson Controls International has a 52-week low of $57.78 and a 52-week high of $91.14. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $82.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.32.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 6.83%. Research analysts expect that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International's payout ratio is 56.49%.

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.