Short Interest in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Grows By 14.5%

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,060,000 shares, a growth of 14.5% from the November 30th total of 7,910,000 shares. Currently, 1.4% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,590,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on JCI shares. Bank of America upped their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Johnson Controls International in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Johnson Controls International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $80.93.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was 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 directly owns 32,246 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,687,704.10. The trade was a 18.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.79, for a total transaction of $8,494,125.85. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,243,751 shares in the company, valued at $95,507,639.29. This trade represents a 8.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 761,774 shares of company stock worth $62,726,419. Insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JCI. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 0.4% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 28,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,208,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position 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 worth $334,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its stake in Johnson Controls International by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 3,715 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 17,011 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,320,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Berry Wealth Group LP raised its position in Johnson Controls International by 0.7% during the third quarter. Berry Wealth Group LP now owns 25,978 shares of the company's stock worth $2,016,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company's stock.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

NYSE:JCI traded down $0.68 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $79.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,621,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,742,289. The company has a market capitalization of $52.41 billion, a PE ratio of 31.16, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.31. Johnson Controls International has a 52-week low of $51.71 and a 52-week high of $87.16. The business's 50-day moving average is $81.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.65. 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. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.27%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.