Xponance Inc. Increases Position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Xponance Inc. lifted its position in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,140 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 143 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Allegion were worth $1,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Allegion during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Allegion during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Allegion by 56.1% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 320 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Allegion by 78.0% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 388 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Allegion by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Allegion

In other Allegion news, SVP David S. Ilardi sold 789 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.28, for a total transaction of $98,845.92. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,205,820. This represents a 7.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Tracy L. Kemp sold 2,032 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.74, for a total transaction of $257,535.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 10,273 shares in the company, valued at $1,302,000.02. This trade represents a 16.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,224 shares of company stock valued at $406,636. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Allegion Price Performance

Allegion stock opened at $127.17 on Friday. Allegion plc has a 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $156.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $129.67 and a 200-day moving average of $136.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.65, a PEG 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.11. Allegion had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 45.12%. The company had revenue of $945.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $938.91 million. As a group, analysts predict that Allegion plc will post 7.77 EPS for the current year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. This is a positive change from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Allegion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.33.

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.