Versor Investments LP Increases Holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Versor Investments LP grew its holdings in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,789 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 489 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in Allegion were worth $626,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ALLE. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Allegion during the fourth quarter worth about $2,090,000. Heritage Investors Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Allegion during the fourth quarter worth about $229,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Allegion by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 30,380 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,970,000 after purchasing an additional 1,090 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Allegion by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 213,905 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,953,000 after purchasing an additional 3,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank increased its position in shares of Allegion by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 17,373 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,270,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ALLE. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays cut their target price on Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Allegion from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.33.

Allegion Stock Performance

Shares of ALLE stock opened at $128.82 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $130.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.26. Allegion plc has a 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $156.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.11.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 45.12% and a net margin of 15.84%. The company had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $938.91 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Allegion plc will post 7.77 EPS for the current year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a boost from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. Allegion’s payout ratio is presently 29.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John H. Stone purchased 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $140.70 per share, with a total value of $1,055,250.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 120,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,951,676.70. The trade was a 6.64 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack purchased 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $125.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,920.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,920. This represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.