Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Raises Holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,681 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 742 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Allegion were worth $3,127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Allegion in the 4th quarter worth approximately $261,000. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its position in shares of Allegion by 261.9% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 98,576 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $12,487,000 after buying an additional 71,338 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Allegion in the fourth quarter valued at $369,000. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Allegion by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 12,919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,637,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Allegion by 112.7% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 68,737 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $8,708,000 after acquiring an additional 36,414 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ALLE shares. Barclays increased their target price on Allegion from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Allegion from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Mizuho downgraded shares of Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $140.00 to $141.00 in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Allegion from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Allegion from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Allegion currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $127.83.

Insider Activity

In other Allegion news, CEO John H. Stone acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $132.41 per share, with a total value of $1,324,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,248 shares in the company, valued at $13,803,477.68. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO John H. Stone acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $132.41 per share, for a total transaction of $1,324,100.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,248 shares in the company, valued at $13,803,477.68. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Robert C. Martens sold 5,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total value of $716,140.44. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,555 shares in the company, valued at $1,003,606.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Allegion Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:ALLE traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $122.88. The stock had a trading volume of 603,785 shares, compared to its average volume of 587,880. The company has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 20.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $120.27. Allegion plc has a 1-year low of $95.94 and a 1-year high of $136.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. Allegion had a return on equity of 48.58% and a net margin of 14.93%. The business had revenue of $893.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $888.27 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.58 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Allegion plc will post 7.08 EPS for the current year.

Allegion Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 13th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Allegion’s payout ratio is 31.32%.

About Allegion

Allegion plc manufactures and sells mechanical and electronic security products and solutions worldwide. The company offers door controls and systems and exit devices; locks, locksets, portable locks, and key systems and services; electronic security products and access control systems; time, attendance, and workforce productivity systems; doors, accessories, and other.