Vest Financial LLC Trims Holdings in Allegion PLC $ALLE

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC trimmed its stake in Allegion by 47.5% in Q4, selling 8,482 shares and leaving 9,368 shares valued at $1.492 million.
• Allegion missed quarterly EPS at $1.80 vs. $1.88 expected, set FY2026 guidance of 8.700–8.900 EPS, and announced a $0.55 quarterly dividend along with a $500 million share buyback authorization.
• Institutional ownership is high at 92.21% with major funds increasing positions, while analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating and a $164 average price target after recent downgrades.

Vest Financial LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Allegion PLC (NYSE:ALLE - Free Report) by 47.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,368 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 8,482 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Allegion were worth $1,492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Allegion by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,746,454 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $842,026,000 after purchasing an additional 48,199 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Allegion by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,232,208 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $750,584,000 after purchasing an additional 260,973 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Allegion by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,593,117 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $412,876,000 after purchasing an additional 236,248 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Allegion by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,210,063 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $214,605,000 after purchasing an additional 52,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Allegion by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 942,212 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $167,104,000 after purchasing an additional 67,074 shares during the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore raised shares of Allegion to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Allegion from $175.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Allegion in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Allegion from $185.00 to $157.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Allegion from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $164.00.

Allegion Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Allegion stock opened at $137.68 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $147.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.49. Allegion PLC has a 12-month low of $134.67 and a 12-month high of $183.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.02.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.88 by ($0.08). Allegion had a net margin of 15.24% and a return on equity of 35.41%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.86 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Allegion has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.700-8.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Allegion PLC will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Allegion Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Allegion's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.57%.

Allegion announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, April 28th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the scientific and technical instruments company to reacquire up to 3.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Steven Mizell sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.51, for a total transaction of $161,510.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,915 shares in the company, valued at $793,821.65. This represents a 16.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Sue Main purchased 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $299,220.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $299,220. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Allegion Company Profile

Allegion plc NYSE: ALLE is a global provider of security products and solutions focused on ensuring the safety and security of people and property. The company was formed in December 2013 through a corporate spin-off from Ingersoll Rand and is head­quartered in Dublin, Ireland. Allegion's core mission is to deliver innovative mechanical and electronic access control systems for a wide range of end markets, including commercial buildings, residential properties, institutional facilities, and industrial sites.

The company's product portfolio spans mechanical locksets, door closers, exit devices, key systems and cylinders, as well as a growing suite of electronic and smart access control offerings.

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