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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,780,000 shares, a drop of 13.0% from the October 15th total of 8,940,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,890,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on JCI shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays raised their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.79, for a total value of $8,494,125.85. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,243,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,507,639.29. This represents a 8.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total value of $84,899.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 143,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,438,752. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 336,757 shares of company stock valued at $26,262,632. Insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 30,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,359,000 after purchasing an additional 2,717 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $469,000 after buying an additional 574 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $862,000 after buying an additional 1,327 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,475,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,041,822,000 after buying an additional 71,493 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,685,322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,797,000 after purchasing an additional 105,194 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

JCI traded down $0.76 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $83.64. 3,439,192 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,917,903. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.29. Johnson Controls International has a 52-week low of $51.60 and a 52-week high of $87.16. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $76.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $71.77.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 25th were paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 25th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.