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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) saw 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 daily volume of 4,450,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on JCI. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Bank of America raised Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $76.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Johnson Controls International from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.21.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 0.1 %

Johnson Controls International stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $72.51. 2,507,138 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,209,991. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $69.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.47. Johnson Controls International has a 12 month low of $47.90 and a 12 month high of $75.36.

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

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. United Services Automobile Association boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 20,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,174,000 after buying an additional 1,490 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 27.6% in the fourth quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 79,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,602,000 after purchasing an additional 17,263 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the first quarter worth $120,948,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,387,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,114,756,000 after purchasing an additional 10,522,009 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 33.1% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 26,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after purchasing an additional 6,697 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.