Short Interest in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Expands By 28.0%

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,960,000 shares, a growth of 28.0% from the October 31st total of 7,780,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,790,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days. Currently, 1.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JCI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group began coverage on Johnson Controls International in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target 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, StockNews.com lowered shares of Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $77.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson Controls International

In other news, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.67, for a total value of $8,038,392.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares in the company, valued at $90,383,385.17. The trade was a 8.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.75, for a total transaction of $84,899.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 143,488 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders sold 741,829 shares of company stock valued at $59,952,007 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JCI. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 195.8% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 65.2% in the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 977.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 474 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the period. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 39.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 0.2 %

Johnson Controls International stock traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $83.68. The stock had a trading volume of 2,720,599 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,865,218. The company has a market cap of $55.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.94, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.29. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $79.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.09. Johnson Controls International has a 52 week low of $51.70 and a 52 week high of $87.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 25th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 25th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. Johnson Controls International’s payout ratio is 58.27%.

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.