IFP Advisors Inc Purchases 85 Shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 23.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 452 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Allegion were worth $59,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ALLE. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Allegion in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Allegion by 207.7% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 440 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Allegion during the third quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Allegion by 271.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 613 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the period. 92.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ALLE shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price 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. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Allegion from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack acquired 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $125.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 8,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,001,920. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP David S. Ilardi sold 789 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.28, for a total value of $98,845.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,205,820. This represents a 7.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Allegion Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Allegion stock opened at $127.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Allegion plc has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $156.10. The company has a market cap of $10.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.67, a PEG ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $137.11.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $938.91 million. Research analysts anticipate 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 paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. This is a boost 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 is presently 29.91%.

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.