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

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, EVP Marlon Sullivan sold 7,230 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.35, for a total value 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 approximately $2,687,704.10. This trade represents a 18.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 224,152 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.72, for a total value of $18,541,853.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,166,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $96,533,578.24. The trade was a 16.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 647,787 shares of company stock valued at $53,972,452 in the last quarter. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 195.8% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 977.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 474 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $88.00 to $87.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $87.20.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

JCI stock traded up $0.29 on Tuesday, reaching $77.29. The company had a trading volume of 1,395,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,955,208. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average is $80.85 and its 200 day moving average is $76.63. The company has a market cap of $51.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.43, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.32. Johnson Controls International has a 1 year low of $52.79 and a 1 year high of $87.16.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.91%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.27%.

Johnson Controls International Company Profile

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.