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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,650,000 shares, an increase of 6.5% from the December 15th total of 9,060,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In related news, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total value of $602,620.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,687,704.10. This represents a 18.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 10,304 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.14, for a total value of $866,978.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,166,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,190,706.88. This trade represents a 0.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 647,787 shares of company stock worth $53,972,452. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JCI. Wealth Alliance purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the second quarter valued at approximately $241,000. Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 13.2% in the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 11,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $776,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 83.1% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 582,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,947,000 after purchasing an additional 264,187 shares during the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International during the second quarter valued at $408,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 18.8% in the second quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 19,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,322,000 after purchasing an additional 3,153 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of Johnson Controls International stock traded up $0.88 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $81.34. The company had a trading volume of 3,591,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,429,269. The stock has a market cap of $53.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.02, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.32. Johnson Controls International has a 12-month low of $52.02 and a 12-month high of $87.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.82.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is currently 58.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on JCI. StockNews.com lowered shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Johnson Controls International in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $90.00 price objective for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $82.53.

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.