Johnson Controls International Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) saw some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 19,207 call options on the company. This is an increase of 1,963% compared to the typical volume of 931 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JCI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research increased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $132.00 target price on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.84.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mark Vergnano purchased 7,665 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $131.94 per share, for a total transaction of $1,011,320.10. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 37,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,961,207.88. This represents a 25.60% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Todd M. Grabowski sold 6,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.90, for a total value of $816,145.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 34,836 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,699,376.40. This trade represents a 14.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $60,000. Blue Sparrow LLC DE bought a new position in Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,382,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 344,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,306,000 after acquiring an additional 72,898 shares during the last quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 251.1% during the 4th quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 250,061 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,945,000 after acquiring an additional 178,847 shares during the period. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 62.6% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 34,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,167,000 after purchasing an additional 13,399 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JCI opened at $139.65 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $121.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.45. Johnson Controls International has a 52-week low of $68.03 and a 52-week high of $143.17. The company has a market cap of $85.48 billion, a PE ratio of 26.30, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 17.15%. The firm had revenue of $5.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson Controls International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.700-4.700 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.110-1.110 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.13%.

About Johnson Controls International

Johnson Controls International plc is a global diversified technology and multi‑industrial company that develops products, services and solutions for buildings and energy storage. The company’s core focus is on improving building efficiency, safety and sustainability through a combination of HVAC equipment, building controls and automation, fire and security systems, and related services. Johnson Controls traces its roots to 1885, when inventor Warren S. Johnson developed an electric room thermostat; over its long history the company has expanded from controls into a broad set of building‑related technologies and, through corporate transactions, into a global provider of integrated building solutions.

Johnson Controls’ product and service portfolio includes heating, ventilation and air‑conditioning equipment, chillers, air handlers and related mechanical systems, together with building automation and control platforms that monitor and manage energy use, indoor environmental quality and security.