Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Sells 2,400 Shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund trimmed its position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,632 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 2,400 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Allegion were worth $1,781,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ALLE. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Allegion during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Concord Wealth Partners bought a new position in shares of Allegion during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Allegion by 207.7% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 440 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Allegion by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 504 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Allegion during the 3rd quarter worth about $71,000. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Allegion Stock Performance

Shares of ALLE opened at $129.45 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 2.04. Allegion plc has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $156.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $130.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.38. The firm has a market cap of $11.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.98, a PEG ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.11.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $938.91 million. On average, analysts forecast that Allegion plc will post 7.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. This is a positive change from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Allegion’s payout ratio is presently 28.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Allegion

In other Allegion news, CEO John H. Stone acquired 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price 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 directly owns 120,481 shares in the company, valued at $16,951,676.70. This trade represents a 6.64 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack acquired 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $125.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,920.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,001,920. This represents a ∞ 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ALLE. StockNews.com raised shares of Allegion from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Allegion presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.33.

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.