Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Short Interest Update

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,860,000 shares, an increase of 29.1% from the August 15th total of 9,190,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,450,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Johnson Controls International from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays dropped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $80.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.21.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JCI traded down $0.04 during trading on Monday, reaching $72.51. 2,507,138 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,209,991. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Johnson Controls International has a fifty-two week low of $47.90 and a fifty-two week high of $75.36. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.47. The firm has a market cap of $48.85 billion, a PE ratio of 29.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.29.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.06. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 6.02%. The company had revenue of $7.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. Johnson Controls International’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Johnson Controls International will post 3.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 25th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 25th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.92%.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson Controls International news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.71, for a total transaction of $82,518.57. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 103,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,344,364.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 4,245 shares of company stock worth $295,442 over the last 90 days. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 65.2% during the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the second quarter worth approximately $47,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 39.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

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.