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

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) by 22.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 920,694 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 168,179 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Johnson Controls International were worth $72,670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in Johnson Controls International by 195.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Johnson Controls International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in Johnson Controls International by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Western Pacific Wealth Management LP bought a new position in shares of Johnson Controls International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. 90.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on JCI. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Johnson Controls International in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Argus raised shares of Johnson Controls International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Melius lowered Johnson Controls International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Johnson Controls International from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.13.

Johnson Controls International Trading Down 0.3 %

JCI stock opened at $90.36 on Thursday. Johnson Controls International plc has a one year low of $56.28 and a one year high of $91.14. The stock has a market cap of $59.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $81.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. Equities analysts anticipate that Johnson Controls International plc will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Johnson Controls International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.49%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Controls International

In other Johnson Controls International news, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,421 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.44, for a total value of $108,621.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 148,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,339,568.24. The trade was a 0.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO George Oliver sold 170,430 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.70, for a total transaction of $14,264,991.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,166,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $97,677,230.40. The trade was a 12.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 889,434 shares of company stock worth $77,215,058 in the last ninety days. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Johnson Controls International Company Profile

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.