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. Traders bought 19,207 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,963% compared to the typical volume of 931 call options.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

JCI stock opened at $70.04 on Thursday. Johnson Controls International has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $75.36. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $68.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.79 billion, a PE ratio of 28.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $7.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International will post 3.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 24th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 24th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised Johnson Controls International from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $68.31.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.71, for a total value of $82,518.57. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,344,364.86. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders sold 4,245 shares of company stock worth $295,442 in the last three months. 0.69% 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 company. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 65.2% during the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the second quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 39.7% in the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 711 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.