Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Has $614,000 Stake in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System trimmed its holdings in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Allegion were worth $614,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Allegion during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Concord Wealth Partners acquired a new stake in Allegion during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Allegion by 65.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 233 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Allegion in the 3rd quarter valued at $71,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Allegion by 44.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Allegion Stock Down 5.6 %

NYSE:ALLE opened at $125.94 on Wednesday. Allegion plc has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $156.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $132.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.42.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last posted 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 the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.11. Allegion had a return on equity of 45.64% and a net margin of 15.36%. Equities research analysts expect that Allegion plc will post 7.41 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Allegion’s payout ratio is currently 29.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on Allegion from $137.00 to $134.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Allegion in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $137.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Allegion from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Allegion from $152.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One 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, Allegion has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Allegion news, CEO John H. Stone bought 7,500 shares of Allegion stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $140.70 per share, for a total transaction of $1,055,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 120,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,951,676.70. The trade was a 6.64 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.