Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Decreases Holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC reduced its stake in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 66,381 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,665 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Allegion were worth $8,675,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Allegion by 13.0% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 32,225 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,807,000 after purchasing an additional 3,707 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Allegion by 64.4% during the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 3,348 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $396,000 after acquiring an additional 1,312 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Allegion in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,423,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in Allegion by 33.5% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 44,708 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,282,000 after acquiring an additional 11,207 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Allegion by 183.7% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 46,523 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $5,480,000 after purchasing an additional 30,123 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Allegion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALLE opened at $135.40 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $135.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.11. Allegion plc has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $156.10.

Allegion Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. Allegion’s payout ratio is 29.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Allegion news, CEO John H. Stone purchased 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $140.70 per share, with a total value of $1,055,250.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 120,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,951,676.70. The trade was a 6.64 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on ALLE shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Allegion in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $137.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho raised their price target on Allegion from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com cut Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Allegion from $152.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Allegion from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.83.

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.