Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 17.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 856 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Allegion were worth $112,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Allegion during the third quarter worth $28,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in Allegion in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in Allegion by 56.1% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 320 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Allegion by 78.0% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 388 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Allegion by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Allegion Price Performance

Shares of ALLE opened at $127.17 on Monday. Allegion plc has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $156.10. The company has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $136.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 2.04.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.11. Allegion had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 45.12%. The business had revenue of $945.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $938.91 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Allegion plc will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is an increase from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Allegion’s dividend payout ratio is 29.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on ALLE shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.33.

Insider Transactions at Allegion

In related news, SVP David S. Ilardi sold 789 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.28, for a total value of $98,845.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,625 shares in the company, valued at $1,205,820. This trade represents a 7.58 % 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 link. Also, 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 transaction 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 approximately $620,008.40. The trade was a 7.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,224 shares of company stock worth $406,636. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Allegion 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.