XTX Topco Ltd Takes Position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,764 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $623,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALLE. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Allegion during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Allegion during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised 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 valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 101 shares during the period. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Allegion Trading Up 10.0 %

ALLE stock traded up $12.70 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $139.16. The company had a trading volume of 1,090,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 824,949. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Allegion plc has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $156.10. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $126.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.88. The stock has a market cap of $11.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Allegion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. Allegion's payout ratio is 29.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP David S. Ilardi sold 789 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.28, for a total transaction of $98,845.92. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Nickolas A. Musial sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,972 shares in the company, valued at $620,008.40. This trade represents a 7.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,224 shares of company stock valued at $406,636 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on ALLE shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com lowered Allegion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays cut their price target on Allegion from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Allegion currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $138.80.

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.