New York State Teachers Retirement System Grows Stock Holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 78,497 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,213 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.09% of Allegion worth $10,258,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Allegion during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Concord Wealth Partners purchased a new position in shares of Allegion during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Allegion by 65.2% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 233 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Allegion by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 504 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Allegion during the third quarter valued at approximately $71,000. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Allegion Trading Down 5.6 %

NYSE:ALLE opened at $125.94 on Wednesday. Allegion plc has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $156.10. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market cap of $10.95 billion, a PE ratio of 19.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.11.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.11. Allegion had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 45.64%. Research analysts forecast that Allegion plc will post 7.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is an increase from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Allegion’s payout ratio is presently 29.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John H. Stone bought 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $140.70 per share, for a total transaction of $1,055,250.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 120,481 shares in the company, valued at $16,951,676.70. This represents a 6.64 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ALLE. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Allegion from $137.00 to $134.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Allegion from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Allegion from $152.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Allegion in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $137.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.83.

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.