Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,987 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 83 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Allegion were worth $782,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ALLE. Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of Allegion by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,865 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,729,000 after buying an additional 988 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Allegion in the 3rd quarter valued at $201,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Allegion by 88.5% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,423 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 668 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Allegion by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,925 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $718,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on ALLE. StockNews.com downgraded Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays cut their price target on Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.33.

Allegion Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:ALLE opened at $127.97 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.37. The stock has a market cap of $11.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.11. Allegion plc has a 1 year low of $113.27 and a 1 year high of $156.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 2.04.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $945.60 million during 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Allegion plc will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a boost from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Allegion’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.91%.

Insider Transactions at Allegion

In other news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack bought 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $125.24 per share, with a total value of $1,001,920.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,920. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John H. Stone bought 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $140.70 per share, with a total value of $1,055,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 120,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,951,676.70. This trade represents a 6.64 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 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.