What Happened?

Shares of building operations company Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) jumped 7.4% in the morning session after the company reported third-quarter results that beat analyst expectations and provided an encouraging earnings forecast for fiscal year 2026. The building solutions provider posted third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.26 per share on revenue of $6.44 billion, with both figures topping estimates. While the results were positive, the company's guidance for the upcoming fourth quarter was weaker than expected, projecting revenue of $5.59 billion, which fell short of analyst forecasts. However, investors focused on the longer-term outlook. Johnson Controls initiated its fiscal 2026 guidance with projected adjusted earnings of approximately $4.55 per share, which was above Wall Street's predictions. This strong full-year forecast appeared to outweigh near-term revenue concerns, signaling confidence in future profitability.

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What Is The Market Telling Us

Johnson Controls’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 7 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 9 months ago when the stock gained 12% on the news that the company reported strong first-quarter results, with organic revenue growing 10% year-on-year, exceeding analysts' expectations​. This was driven by a 16% increase in orders and an 11% rise in its Building Solutions backlog. Looking ahead, its EPS guidance for next quarter came in higher than Wall Street's estimates. Zooming out, we think this was a good quarter with some key areas of upside.

Johnson Controls is up 55% since the beginning of the year, and at $122.34 per share, has set a new 52-week high. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Johnson Controls’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $2,814.

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