Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 19,207 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,963% compared to the typical daily volume of 931 call options.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JCI traded down $0.51 during trading on Friday, reaching $82.64. The stock had a trading volume of 6,990,704 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,181,517. Johnson Controls International has a 52 week low of $59.83 and a 52 week high of $91.14. The business's 50-day moving average price is $82.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.10. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $54.55 billion, a PE ratio of 31.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 predict that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

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Insider Activity

In other news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value 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 trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 205,168 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.03, for a total value of $18,060,939.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,260,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $110,964,191.81. This represents a 14.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 905,864 shares of company stock valued at $77,824,710. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 6,458 shares of the company's stock valued at $510,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 18,621 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 32.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 4,444 shares of the company's stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on JCI shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Melius Research reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Melius cut shares of Johnson Controls International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $95.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $91.27.

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.