Blue Trust Inc. Sells 167 Shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 33.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 167 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Allegion were worth $44,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Allegion in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Concord Wealth Partners bought a new stake in Allegion in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Allegion by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 504 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Allegion during the third quarter worth about $71,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Allegion by 271.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 613 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on ALLE. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com raised Allegion from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.33.

Allegion Stock Performance

NYSE ALLE opened at $129.45 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $130.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.38. Allegion plc has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $156.10. The company has a market capitalization of $11.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $945.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $938.91 million. Allegion had a return on equity of 45.12% and a net margin of 15.84%. Analysts anticipate that Allegion plc will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. This is an increase from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Allegion’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Allegion

In other Allegion news, CAO Nickolas A. Musial sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.70, for a total transaction of $50,254.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $620,008.40. The trade was a 7.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John H. Stone purchased 7,500 shares of Allegion stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $140.70 per share, for a total transaction of $1,055,250.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Allegion Profile

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.