Jones Financial Companies Lllp Increases Holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 1,330.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,130 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,051 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp’s holdings in Allegion were worth $148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Allegion by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,045,966 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $589,659,000 after purchasing an additional 49,929 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Allegion by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,436,127 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $449,033,000 after purchasing an additional 257,175 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Allegion by 0.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,111,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $306,699,000 after purchasing an additional 8,023 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Allegion by 13.9% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,904,632 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $277,581,000 after purchasing an additional 232,395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Allegion by 96.8% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,674,644 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $244,063,000 after purchasing an additional 823,874 shares during the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Allegion Trading Up 1.4 %

ALLE opened at $126.73 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $129.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.80. Allegion plc has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $156.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 2.04.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $945.60 million for 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%. On average, equities 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a boost from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Allegion’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ALLE shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com cut Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.33.

Insider Activity at Allegion

In related news, SVP Tracy L. Kemp sold 2,032 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.74, for a total value of $257,535.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 10,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,302,000.02. The trade was a 16.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP David S. Ilardi sold 789 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were 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 owns 9,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,205,820. The trade was a 7.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,224 shares of company stock worth $406,636. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.