Machina Capital S.A.S. Makes New $675,000 Investment in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,166 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $675,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Andra AP fonden raised its position in shares of Allegion by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 107,929 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $14,104,000 after acquiring an additional 17,229 shares in the last quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its position in Allegion by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 30,258 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,954,000 after buying an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Allegion during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,175,000. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in Allegion by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 25,307 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,307,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Allegion during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,090,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Allegion Price Performance

NYSE:ALLE opened at $131.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $137.13. The stock has a market cap of $11.33 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.10. Allegion plc has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $156.10.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last issued its 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 45.12% and a net margin of 15.84%. The firm had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $938.91 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Allegion plc will post 7.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. This is a boost from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Allegion’s payout ratio is 29.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on ALLE shares. StockNews.com lowered Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays dropped their price target on Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Allegion currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Allegion news, CAO Nickolas A. Musial sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.70, for a total transaction of $50,254.10. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $620,008.40. The trade was a 7.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack bought 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,920. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Allegion Company 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.