Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC Buys New Stake in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,377 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $441,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ALLE. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Allegion in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its stake in shares of Allegion by 192.9% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 249 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Allegion during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Allegion by 259.3% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Allegion by 56.1% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 320 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ALLE shares. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Allegion from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Allegion from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Allegion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Allegion presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $140.40.

Allegion Price Performance

Allegion stock traded up $2.80 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $145.71. The company had a trading volume of 764,293 shares, compared to its average volume of 845,119. The company has a market capitalization of $12.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.02. Allegion plc has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $156.10. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $130.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.18. Allegion had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 45.12%. The business had revenue of $941.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $918.53 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.55 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Allegion plc will post 7.77 EPS for the current year.

Allegion Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Allegion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.65%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Tracy L. Kemp sold 2,032 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.74, for a total transaction of $257,535.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 10,273 shares in the company, valued at $1,302,000.02. This trade represents a 16.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP David S. Ilardi sold 789 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.28, for a total transaction of $98,845.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,205,820. This represents a 7.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,224 shares of company stock valued at $406,636 in the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.