Short Interest in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Rises By 29.1%

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,860,000 shares, a growth of 29.1% from the August 15th total of 9,190,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,450,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days. Currently, 1.8% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:JCI traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $72.51. The stock had a trading volume of 2,507,138 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,209,991. Johnson Controls International has a twelve month low of $47.90 and a twelve month high of $75.36. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $48.85 billion, a PE ratio of 29.36, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.29.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $7.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.53 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 13.64%. The company’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.03 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International will post 3.67 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 25th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 25th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on JCI. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.21.

Insider Transactions at Johnson Controls International

In related news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.71, for a total value of $82,518.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,866 shares in the company, valued at $7,344,364.86. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold 4,245 shares of company stock worth $295,442 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. United Services Automobile Association increased its stake in Johnson Controls International by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 20,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 1,490 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 27.6% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 79,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,602,000 after buying an additional 17,263 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in Johnson Controls International during the 1st quarter worth $120,948,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Johnson Controls International by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,387,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,114,756,000 after acquiring an additional 10,522,009 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in Johnson Controls International by 33.1% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 26,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 6,697 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

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.