Vest Financial LLC Invests $1.60 Million in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Vest Financial LLC purchased a new position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 12,223 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,595,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ALLE. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Allegion by 1.7% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in 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 valued at $616,503,000 after acquiring an additional 488,390 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Allegion by 1.0% in the 4th 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 grew its position in shares of Allegion by 8.1% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Allegion by 2.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 41,417 shares during the period. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Allegion

In other Allegion news, SVP Tracy L. Kemp sold 2,032 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.74, for a total transaction of $257,535.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 10,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,302,000.02. This trade represents a 16.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Allegion Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE ALLE traded down $0.56 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $138.59. The company had a trading volume of 59,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 864,145. The stock has a market cap of $11.93 billion, a PE ratio of 20.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.02. Allegion plc has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $156.10. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $135.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $133.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $941.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $918.53 million. Allegion had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 45.12%. The business's revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.55 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Allegion plc will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Allegion Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. Allegion's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ALLE. Wall Street Zen lowered Allegion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays upped 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Allegion from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Allegion presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.40.

Allegion Company Profile

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.