Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) Shares Purchased by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE - Free Report) by 126.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 66,301 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 37,014 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Allegion worth $8,664,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Allegion during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Allegion during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Allegion by 78.0% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 388 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Allegion by 33.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company's stock.

Allegion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ALLE traded down $2.59 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $118.19. 1,543,192 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 801,490. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.43. Allegion plc has a 1 year low of $113.27 and a 1 year high of $156.10. The company has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.01. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $128.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.34.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE - Get Free Report) last issued 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 company had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $938.91 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Allegion plc will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Allegion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. Allegion's payout ratio is currently 29.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on ALLE. Barclays lowered their target price on Allegion from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 report on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Allegion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Allegion currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $137.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP David S. Ilardi sold 789 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.28, for a total transaction of $98,845.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,205,820. This trade represents a 7.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tracy L. Kemp sold 2,032 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,302,000.02. The trade was a 16.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,224 shares of company stock worth $406,636. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.