Metis Global Partners LLC Has $754,000 Holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Metis Global Partners LLC cut its position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 39.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,769 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 3,693 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Allegion were worth $754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Allegion in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Allegion by 56.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 320 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Allegion by 207.7% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 440 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Allegion by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 452 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in Allegion during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,000. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Allegion Trading Down 2.1 %

ALLE stock opened at $123.86 on Wednesday. Allegion plc has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $156.10. The company has a market capitalization of $10.69 billion, a PE ratio of 18.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.25. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $938.91 million. Allegion had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 45.12%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Allegion plc will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. This is an increase from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Allegion’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.91%.

Insider Transactions at Allegion

In other news, CAO Nickolas A. Musial sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $620,008.40. The trade was a 7.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack purchased 8,000 shares of Allegion stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $125.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,920.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,920. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on ALLE. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Allegion from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Allegion presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.33.

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.