Lafayette Investments Inc. Raises Holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Lafayette Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 12.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,219 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,278 shares during the quarter. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in Allegion were worth $3,828,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Allegion in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Allegion in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in Allegion by 123.1% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 261 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Allegion by 153.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 380 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headinvest LLC bought a new position in shares of Allegion in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Allegion

In related news, VP Timothy P. Eckersley sold 5,047 shares of Allegion stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.99, for a total transaction of $656,059.53. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 35,567 shares in the company, valued at $4,623,354.33. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Allegion news, VP Timothy P. Eckersley sold 5,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.99, for a total transaction of $656,059.53. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 35,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,623,354.33. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Robert C. Martens sold 5,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total value of $716,140.44. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,555 shares in the company, valued at $1,003,606.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Allegion Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Allegion stock traded up $0.75 on Friday, reaching $125.59. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 51,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 708,761. The company has a market capitalization of $11.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a P/E/G ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $118.74. Allegion plc has a 52 week low of $95.94 and a 52 week high of $136.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $897.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $904.17 million. Allegion had a return on equity of 51.95% and a net margin of 14.80%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.60 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Allegion plc will post 7.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Allegion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 13th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. Allegion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ALLE has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Allegion from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised Allegion from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Mizuho lowered Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $140.00 to $141.00 in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Barclays raised their price objective on Allegion from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Allegion from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Allegion has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $127.83.

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.