Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Sells 5,000 Shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE - Free Report) by 23.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,634 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 5,000 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Allegion were worth $2,174,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ALLE. Norden Group LLC raised its position in Allegion by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 2,001 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. 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 purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of Allegion by 45.1% in the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 537 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Allegion by 56.1% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 320 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Allegion by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 21,653 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,830,000 after buying an additional 1,767 shares during the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on ALLE. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Allegion from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Allegion from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $138.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack bought 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $125.24 per share, with a total value of $1,001,920.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,920. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Nickolas A. Musial sold 403 shares of Allegion stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was 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 directly owns 4,972 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $620,008.40. This trade represents a 7.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Allegion Price Performance

Allegion stock traded up $0.47 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $126.95. 272,557 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 887,115. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $130.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.18. Allegion plc has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $156.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company has a market cap of $10.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.10.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.11. Allegion had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 45.12%. The company had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $938.91 million. Equities analysts expect that Allegion plc will post 7.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a positive change from Allegion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Allegion's payout ratio is currently 29.91%.

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.