Marshall Wace LLP Takes Position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 59,954 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,835,000. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.07% of Allegion as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Allegion by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,418 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Allegion by 23.7% during the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,023 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Allegion by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 46,641 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $6,095,000 after buying an additional 16,749 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Allegion in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $623,000. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its holdings in Allegion by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 16,809 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,197,000 after acquiring an additional 1,310 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Allegion Stock Up 2.9 %

ALLE stock opened at $126.88 on Wednesday. Allegion plc has a 1-year low of $113.27 and a 1-year high of $156.10. The stock has a market cap of $10.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company’s 50 day moving average is $127.08 and its 200 day moving average is $133.93.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.11. Allegion had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 45.12%. The firm had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $938.91 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Allegion plc will post 7.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Allegion Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Allegion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP David S. Ilardi sold 789 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.28, for a total transaction of $98,845.92. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,205,820. This trade represents a 7.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tracy L. Kemp sold 2,032 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 directly owns 10,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,302,000.02. This trade represents a 16.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,224 shares of company stock worth $406,636 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ALLE. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Allegion from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.80.

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.