D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Cuts Stake in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. trimmed its position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE - Free Report) by 85.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,453 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 31,025 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Allegion were worth $713,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ALLE. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Allegion in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its stake in shares of Allegion by 192.9% during the fourth 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 position in shares of Allegion during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Allegion by 259.3% during the fourth 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 increased its stake in shares of Allegion by 56.1% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 320 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Allegion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Allegion from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Allegion from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.40.

Allegion Price Performance

Shares of ALLE traded down $1.67 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $142.86. 664,111 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 851,744. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company's 50-day moving average price is $133.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.10. The company has a market cap of $12.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.02. Allegion plc has a 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $156.10.

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

Allegion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Allegion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.65%.

Insider Activity at Allegion

In other Allegion news, SVP David S. Ilardi sold 789 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,205,820. This trade represents a 7.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tracy L. Kemp sold 2,032 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.74, for a total value of $257,535.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 10,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,302,000.02. This represents a 16.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by 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.