Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 168,179 Shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) by 22.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 920,694 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 168,179 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Johnson Controls International worth $72,670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 101.5% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 26,517 shares of the company's stock worth $2,093,000 after purchasing an additional 13,360 shares during the last quarter. Certuity LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter worth $243,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 136.8% during the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 91,248 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,082,000 after buying an additional 52,719 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson Controls International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,475,260 shares of the company's stock worth $1,041,822,000 after acquiring an additional 71,493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNC Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Johnson Controls International in the fourth quarter worth $2,093,000. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson Controls International Trading Down 4.7 %

Shares of JCI stock traded down $4.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $84.64. The stock had a trading volume of 2,415,098 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,435,872. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $82.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.87 billion, a PE ratio of 32.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.32. Johnson Controls International plc has a 52-week low of $57.78 and a 52-week high of $91.14.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 6.83%. Equities analysts expect that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.49%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total value of $108,621.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 148,346 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,339,568.24. This represents a 0.95 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 124,497 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.67, for a total transaction of $10,292,166.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,267,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,802,081.72. This trade represents a 8.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 719,004 shares of company stock worth $62,950,067 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JCI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Johnson Controls International from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays upped their target price on Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $91.13.

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.