Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 820 Shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 14.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,418 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 820 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Allegion were worth $813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Allegion during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Allegion by 153.3% during the third quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 380 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Headinvest LLC acquired a new stake in Allegion during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Allegion in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Allegion by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 633 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Allegion Stock Performance

ALLE stock opened at $125.42 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $130.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.27. Allegion plc has a fifty-two week low of $95.94 and a fifty-two week high of $136.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.51 and a beta of 1.14.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. Allegion had a return on equity of 51.95% and a net margin of 14.80%. The company had revenue of $897.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $904.17 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.60 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Allegion plc will post 7.01 EPS for the current year.

Allegion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 13th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. Allegion’s payout ratio is presently 31.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ALLE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho lowered Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $140.00 to $141.00 in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Allegion from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Allegion from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on Allegion from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Allegion from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $127.83.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Timothy P. Eckersley sold 5,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.99, for a total transaction of $656,059.53. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 35,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,623,354.33. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, VP Timothy P. Eckersley sold 5,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.99, for a total value of $656,059.53. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 35,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,623,354.33. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John H. Stone acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $132.41 per share, with a total value of $1,324,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 104,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,803,477.68. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

About Allegion

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.