Donaldson Capital Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in The Allstate Corporation $ALL

Donaldson Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Allstate Corporation (NYSE:ALL) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 36,266 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 3,934 shares during the quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Allstate were worth $7,549,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Allstate by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 37,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,808,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337 shares in the last quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Allstate in the 4th quarter worth about $687,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Allstate by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 8,588 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,788,000 after buying an additional 1,881 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Allstate by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,603 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $542,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Allstate by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 18,836 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,921,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the period. 76.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Allstate from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Allstate from $281.00 to $265.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target (down from $245.00) on shares of Allstate in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Allstate in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, William Blair cut shares of Allstate from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $237.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Suren Gupta sold 19,593 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total transaction of $4,114,530.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 100,646 shares in the company, valued at $21,135,660. This trade represents a 16.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Allstate Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALL opened at $202.71 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $52.61 billion, a PE ratio of 5.31, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.23. The company’s fifty day moving average is $205.03 and its 200 day moving average is $204.92. The Allstate Corporation has a 52 week low of $176.00 and a 52 week high of $216.75.

Allstate (NYSE:ALL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $14.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.72 by $5.59. Allstate had a net margin of 15.19% and a return on equity of 39.20%. The business had revenue of $17.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that The Allstate Corporation will post 18.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Allstate Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Allstate’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Allstate’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.31%.

About Allstate

Allstate Corporation is a publicly traded insurance company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, and is one of the largest personal lines property and casualty insurers in the United States. Founded in 1931 as a subsidiary of Sears, Roebuck and Co, Allstate has grown into a diversified insurer that serves millions of consumers and businesses through a mix of distribution channels and product offerings.

The company underwrites a broad range of insurance products, with primary emphasis on auto and homeowners coverage.