The Allstate Co. (NYSE:ALL) Shares Sold by Fox Run Management L.L.C.

Fox Run Management L.L.C. lessened its position in shares of The Allstate Co. (NYSE:ALL) by 43.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,088 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 3,122 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Allstate were worth $788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Allstate during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Allstate during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Allstate in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Allstate in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Allstate in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.47% of the company’s stock.

Allstate Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE ALL opened at $206.60 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $193.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.12. The Allstate Co. has a 52-week low of $156.66 and a 52-week high of $212.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Allstate (NYSE:ALL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $7.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.40 by $2.27. Allstate had a return on equity of 28.20% and a net margin of 7.28%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Allstate Co. will post 18.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Allstate Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. This is a boost from Allstate’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Allstate’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.54%.

Allstate announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to purchase up to 3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI raised Allstate from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on Allstate from $187.00 to $183.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Allstate from $186.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Allstate from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Argus raised Allstate from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $217.94.

Insider Transactions at Allstate

In other news, CFO Jesse E. Merten sold 40,102 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.53, for a total transaction of $7,480,226.06. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,115 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,378,990.95. This represents a 68.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

About Allstate

The Allstate Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty, and other insurance products in the United States and Canada. It operates in five segments: Allstate Protection; Protection Services; Allstate Health and Benefits; Run-off Property-Liability; and Corporate and Other segments.