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

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 4,620 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 73% compared to the typical volume of 2,668 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on JCI. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Johnson Controls International from $169.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $140.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.85.

Johnson Controls International News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal Q3 adjusted EPS was $1.42, exceeding the $1.30 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $6.61 billion versus expectations of $6.46 billion. Revenue increased 9.3% year over year, and GAAP EPS was $1.23. Johnson Controls earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to approximately $5.05, above the $4.90 analyst consensus, and guided fourth-quarter EPS to $1.55 versus the $1.52 consensus. Organic full-year sales growth is expected to be about 8%.
• Positive Sentiment: Demand trends strengthened substantially: Q3 orders rose 27% organically, and backlog increased 32% organically to $21.0 billion. The company also expects data centers to become roughly one-third of its business, highlighting exposure to AI-related infrastructure spending. Johnson Controls data center growth article
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson Controls introduced an absorption-chiller design aimed at converting waste heat from on-site power generation into cooling for AI data centers. The technology could reduce cooling electricity demand by up to 44% and increase available computing capacity. Johnson Controls absorption chiller announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Call-option activity was unusually high, with 4,620 calls purchased—73% above average daily volume—indicating increased speculative interest but not necessarily a sustained change in fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent institutional filings showed several large investors reducing positions, while company insider activity over the past six months included more sales than purchases. These transactions may add sentiment pressure but are not necessarily tied to current operating performance.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

JCI stock traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $139.57. 3,284,152 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,437,112. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $85.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.31. Johnson Controls International has a 52-week low of $102.09 and a 52-week high of $151.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $142.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $136.53.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.12. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 14.45%.The firm had revenue of $6.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.05 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International will post 4.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio is 28.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Lei Zhang Schlitz sold 88,809 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.99, for a total value of $12,521,180.91. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 57,059 shares in the company, valued at $8,044,748.41. The trade was a 60.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Todd M. Grabowski sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.20, for a total value of $263,160.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 26,215 shares in the company, valued at $3,832,633. This represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter valued at $927,739,000. Viking Global Investors LP raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 368.5% in the third quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 6,796,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $747,324,000 after buying an additional 5,346,130 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its stake in Johnson Controls International by 157.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 5,965,212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $781,145,000 after buying an additional 3,646,047 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 140.8% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,575,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $483,281,000 after buying an additional 2,675,157 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Johnson Controls International by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 16,003,486 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,916,417,000 after buying an additional 1,837,220 shares in the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.