Investors Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) saw some unusual options trading activity 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.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 124,497 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.67, for a total transaction of $10,292,166.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,267,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $104,802,081.72. This trade represents a 8.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total transaction of $602,620.50. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 837,777 shares of company stock valued at $72,867,455 over the last ninety days. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on JCI. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.13.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of JCI opened at $81.02 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $82.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.35. The company has a market capitalization of $53.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. Johnson Controls International has a fifty-two week low of $59.83 and a fifty-two week high of $91.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.02.

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

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.