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

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson Controls International

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JCI. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at $222,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International during the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Johnson Controls International by 83.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $745,000 after purchasing an additional 3,203 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in Johnson Controls International by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 12,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,328,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in Johnson Controls International by 120.7% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 12,359 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,305,000 after purchasing an additional 6,760 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on JCI. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on Johnson Controls International from $161.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Johnson Controls International from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $125.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $137.05.

Key Johnson Controls International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson Controls International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Report that JCI is weighing roughly $4.5 billion in divestitures, which investors interpret as a potential value-unlocking move that could simplify the business or accelerate buybacks/returns of capital. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup analyst coverage suggests upside for the stock, signaling at least one major sell-side voice is constructive on JCI’s outlook and could support investor sentiment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Evercore has begun coverage of JCI — new institutional coverage increases investor attention and may add liquidity and debate, but the immediate directional impact depends on the published view. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $135 (maintains a “hold”), which is slightly below the recent trading level — this is a modest technical adjustment rather than a bullish endorsement. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A Yahoo Finance piece highlights data and integration challenges in building-technology services that could shape demand; this is a thematic item to watch for medium-term revenue mix and margin implications. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas (Exane) initiated coverage with a “strong sell”/underperform and a $120 price target, a notably bearish view that increases downside narrative and likely pressured the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage summaries aggregated on Zacks/TickerReport also cite the BNP initiation and emphasize downside risk from the new sell-side view. Article Title

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

Shares of Johnson Controls International stock opened at $137.25 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $137.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Johnson Controls International has a 1-year low of $73.55 and a 1-year high of $146.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.39.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 17.15% and a net margin of 14.17%.The business had revenue of $5.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Johnson Controls International’s 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.