Versant Capital Management Inc Boosts Stake in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 271.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 613 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Allegion were worth $80,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Allegion by 61.0% in the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 190 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Allegion in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Concord Wealth Partners purchased a new stake in Allegion in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Allegion by 66.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John H. Stone bought 7,500 shares of the 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 purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 120,481 shares in the company, valued at $16,951,676.70. This trade represents a 6.64 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robert C. Martens sold 8,035 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.92, for a total value of $1,164,432.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,104 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,029,511.68. The trade was a 53.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Allegion Price Performance

ALLE stock opened at $130.18 on Friday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $138.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.10. Allegion plc has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $156.10.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $967.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $970.70 million. Allegion had a return on equity of 45.64% and a net margin of 15.36%. Allegion’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Allegion plc will post 7.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Allegion Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. Allegion’s payout ratio is currently 29.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ALLE. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Allegion from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays raised their price objective on Allegion from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Allegion from $137.00 to $152.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Allegion from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Allegion has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $144.60.

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.