12,223 Shares in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) Acquired by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC bought a new stake in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 12,223 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,595,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Allegion by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,718,458 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,400,688,000 after buying an additional 177,808 shares during the period. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Allegion by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,716,756 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $616,503,000 after purchasing an additional 488,390 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Allegion by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 3,897,407 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $509,313,000 after purchasing an additional 38,377 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Allegion by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,436,127 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $449,033,000 after purchasing an additional 257,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Allegion by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,152,831 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $280,607,000 after buying an additional 41,417 shares during the period. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on ALLE shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Allegion from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Allegion from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target 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, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Allegion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Allegion currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $140.40.

Allegion Trading Down 1.3%

ALLE traded down $1.84 on Wednesday, reaching $137.83. 347,778 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 864,981. Allegion plc has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $156.10. The company's 50 day moving average is $135.52 and its 200-day moving average is $133.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 2.04. The company has a market cap of $11.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a PEG ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Allegion Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. Allegion's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.65%.

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.