Marshall Wace LLP Invests $7.84 Million in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 59,954 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $7,835,000. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.07% of Allegion at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $1,400,688,000 after acquiring an additional 177,808 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Allegion by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,716,756 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $616,503,000 after purchasing an additional 488,390 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Allegion by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,152,831 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $280,607,000 after purchasing an additional 41,417 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Allegion by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,010,472 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $262,728,000 after purchasing an additional 105,840 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company's stock.

Allegion Price Performance

NYSE ALLE traded up $0.81 on Monday, reaching $137.30. The company had a trading volume of 918,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 830,881. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.01. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $127.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.54. Allegion plc has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $156.10.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Allegion had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 45.12%. The business had revenue of $941.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $918.53 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.55 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Allegion plc will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Allegion Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Allegion's payout ratio is currently 28.65%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Allegion news, CAO Nickolas A. Musial sold 403 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.70, for a total value of $50,254.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,972 shares of the company's stock, valued at $620,008.40. This trade represents a 7.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tracy L. Kemp sold 2,032 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.74, for a total value of $257,535.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 10,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,302,000.02. This trade represents a 16.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,224 shares of company stock valued at $406,636 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on ALLE. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Allegion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Allegion from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Allegion from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.