Investors Buy Large Volume of Johnson Controls International Call Options (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders purchased 19,207 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 1,963% compared to the average volume of 931 call options.

Johnson Controls International Stock Up 1.7 %

JCI opened at $82.29 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $79.34. Johnson Controls International has a 52 week low of $59.83 and a 52 week high of $91.14. The company has a market capitalization of $54.32 billion, a PE ratio of 31.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on JCI. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group raised Johnson Controls International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $103.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Daniel C. Mcconeghy sold 1,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total transaction of $171,073.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 24,803 shares in the company, valued at $2,175,967.19. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 129,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.55, for a total value of $10,799,923.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,203,893 shares in the company, valued at $100,585,260.15. The trade was a 9.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 837,777 shares of company stock worth $72,867,455 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JCI. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position in Johnson Controls International by 32.8% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. 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.