Short Interest in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) Grows By 8.4%

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,190,000 shares, an increase of 8.4% from the July 31st total of 8,480,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,660,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JCI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $68.31.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Johnson Controls International stock opened at $72.85 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $68.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.44. The company has a market capitalization of $48.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.28. Johnson Controls International has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $75.36.

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

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 24th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 24th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.92%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In related news, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 1,167 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.01, for a total transaction of $77,033.67. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 104,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,901,741.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 2,892 shares of company stock valued at $197,011 in the last three months. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JCI. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,387,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,114,756,000 after purchasing an additional 10,522,009 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 85.5% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,142,736 shares of the company’s stock worth $923,804,000 after buying an additional 6,520,580 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 95.9% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,760,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $833,491,000 after acquiring an additional 6,247,250 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $316,400,000. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 686.4% in the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 4,445,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,487,000 after purchasing an additional 3,880,146 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.