Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Short Interest Down 20.6% in November

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) saw a large decline in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 7,910,000 shares, a decline of 20.6% from the November 15th total of 9,960,000 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,730,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group began coverage on Johnson Controls International in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. StockNews.com cut Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.08, for a total transaction of $231,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 140,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,828,815.04. This represents a 2.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 110,615 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.67, for a total transaction of $8,038,392.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,243,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $90,383,385.17. This represents a 8.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 872,389 shares of company stock worth $70,763,920. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 20,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 2,366 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 62,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,812,000 after purchasing an additional 16,000 shares in the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 9,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $751,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 27.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 223,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,384,000 after purchasing an additional 48,416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sfmg LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $210,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson Controls International Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:JCI traded down $0.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $82.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,354,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,219,777. The company has a market capitalization of $54.72 billion, a PE ratio of 32.53, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.31. Johnson Controls International has a fifty-two week low of $51.71 and a fifty-two week high of $87.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $80.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.89.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd will be given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 23rd. 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.