Short Interest in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Increases By 7.5%

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,450,000 shares, a growth of 7.5% from the January 15th total of 8,790,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,090,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Currently, 1.5% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

NYSE JCI traded up $0.87 on Tuesday, hitting $90.64. The stock had a trading volume of 3,508,119 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,607,523. Johnson Controls International has a 52-week low of $56.28 and a 52-week high of $91.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $59.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $81.62 and a 200-day moving average of $77.93.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. Equities analysts expect that Johnson Controls International will post 3.52 EPS for the current year.

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 given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.49%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total value of $108,621.24. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 148,346 shares in the company, valued at $11,339,568.24. This represents a 0.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 10,304 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.14, for a total transaction of $866,978.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,113,772 shares of company stock worth $95,772,462. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Controls International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 195.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. 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 note on Thursday, December 5th. Melius lowered shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.13.

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.