Merit Financial Group LLC Buys 11,443 Shares of The Allstate Corporation $ALL

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in The Allstate Corporation by 130.8% in Q4, buying 11,443 shares to hold 20,193 shares valued at about $4.20 million.
• Allstate delivered a strong earnings beat (Q4 EPS $14.31 vs. $8.72), recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.08 (annual $4.32, ~2.0% yield), and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $238.65.
• Despite positive momentum (free identity‑theft protection rollout and all‑time high shares), Allstate faces a significant near‑term headwind — it estimates roughly $1.24 billion in Q1 catastrophe losses (about $925M from March) that could weigh on results.

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in The Allstate Corporation (NYSE:ALL - Free Report) by 130.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,193 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,443 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Allstate were worth $4,203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ALL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Allstate by 60.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,500 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,253,000 after purchasing an additional 2,443 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Allstate in the 4th quarter valued at $231,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Allstate in the 2nd quarter valued at $210,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of Allstate by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 123,272 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $24,816,000 after buying an additional 3,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Allstate by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 38,316 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $7,713,000 after buying an additional 6,412 shares in the last quarter. 76.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Allstate

Here are the key news stories impacting Allstate this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Allstate rolled out free identity‑theft protection to millions of customers (starting in 14 states), a differentiator that can increase customer value and retention. Allstate becomes the first major insurance provider to roll out free identity theft protection
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst tools (Zacks Earnings ESP) flagged Allstate as a finance stock that could beat upcoming earnings, supporting upside expectations. These 2 Finance Stocks Could Beat Earnings: Why They Should Be on Your Radar
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying was reported (BCS Wealth Management added shares), a signal of continued investor interest. BCS Wealth Management Buys Shares of 2,508 The Allstate Corporation $ALL
• Positive Sentiment: Shares recently hit an all‑time high, reflecting strong market momentum following recent earnings and valuation re-rating. Allstate stock hits all-time high of $216.84 USD
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch notes the stock rose but still lags broader market performance, signaling mixed relative strength. Allstate Corp. stock rises Friday, still underperforms market
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage questioning whether it’s “too late” to buy after Allstate’s multi‑year run highlights valuation and timing debate among investors. Is It Too Late To Consider Allstate (ALL) After Its Strong Multi Year Share Price Run?
• Neutral Sentiment: Local real‑estate/legal developments around Allstate’s empty campus are unlikely to move fundamentals but add headline noise. Allstate’s Empty Campus May Rejoin South Barrington In High-Stakes Land Fight
• Negative Sentiment: Allstate booked sizable catastrophe losses for March (~$925M; ~$731M after‑tax) and estimates about $1.24B in Q1 cat losses — a near‑term drag on underwriting and quarterly results. Allstate estimates $1.24bn Q1’26 cat losses with March contributing $925m

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ALL shares. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Allstate from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Allstate in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Allstate from $260.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Allstate from $216.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $231.00 price objective on shares of Allstate in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Allstate has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $238.65.

Allstate Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Allstate stock opened at $216.46 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $208.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $205.48. The Allstate Corporation has a 12-month low of $184.62 and a 12-month high of $219.48.

Allstate (NYSE:ALL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $14.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.72 by $5.59. The business had revenue of $17.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.23 billion. Allstate had a net margin of 15.19% and a return on equity of 39.20%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.67 EPS. Research analysts expect that The Allstate Corporation will post 18.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Allstate Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Allstate's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Allstate's payout ratio is currently 11.31%.

Allstate Profile

Allstate Corporation is a publicly traded insurance company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, and is one of the largest personal lines property and casualty insurers in the United States. Founded in 1931 as a subsidiary of Sears, Roebuck and Co, Allstate has grown into a diversified insurer that serves millions of consumers and businesses through a mix of distribution channels and product offerings.

The company underwrites a broad range of insurance products, with primary emphasis on auto and homeowners coverage.

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