Bison Wealth LLC Sells 2,419 Shares of The Allstate Co. (NYSE:ALL)

Bison Wealth LLC decreased its holdings in The Allstate Co. (NYSE:ALL - Free Report) by 58.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,725 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 2,419 shares during the quarter. Bison Wealth LLC's holdings in Allstate were worth $333,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Allstate in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Twin Tree Management LP bought a new stake in Allstate in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Allstate in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Allstate in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Allstate during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 76.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Allstate Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of Allstate stock traded up $1.91 on Friday, hitting $199.15. 1,508,513 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,619,102. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The Allstate Co. has a 12-month low of $156.66 and a 12-month high of $212.91. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $198.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $194.87. The company has a market cap of $52.80 billion, a PE ratio of 11.72, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.32.

Allstate (NYSE:ALL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.98 by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $14.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.41 billion. Allstate had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 28.20%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.13 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Allstate Co. will post 18.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Allstate Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is a positive change from Allstate's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Allstate's dividend payout ratio is 27.32%.

Allstate announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to purchase up to 3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ALL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Allstate from $186.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Allstate from $227.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Argus raised Allstate from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Allstate from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Allstate from $183.00 to $172.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $221.60.

Insider Activity

In other Allstate news, CFO Jesse E. Merten sold 40,102 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.53, for a total value of $7,480,226.06. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 18,115 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,378,990.95. This trade represents a 68.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Allstate

The Allstate Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty, and other insurance products in the United States and Canada. It operates in five segments: Allstate Protection; Protection Services; Allstate Health and Benefits; Run-off Property-Liability; and Corporate and Other segments.