Stock market

Why Did JANA Partners Open A New Financial Position In Allegion?

Must-know assessment: JANA Partners’ positions in 4Q 2013 (Part 2 of 8) ( Continued from Part 1 ) JANA Partners disclosed a 2.41% new position in Allegion plc (ALLE), a $2 billion security solutions provider for homes and businesses. Allegion has seen hedge fund interest with Trian Partners and DE Shaw holding positions in the stock. Allegion debuted in December last year as a standalone, publicly-traded company following its spinoff from industrial goods manufacturer Ingersoll-Rand (IR). Under the spinoff transaction, approximately 96 million ordinary shares of Allegion were issued to Ingersoll-Rand shareholders. These holders received one ordinary share of Allegion for every three ordinary shares of IR held. Fractional shares that the IR shareholders would otherwise have been entitled to receive were aggregated and sold in the public market. Ireland-based Ingersoll-Rand had confirmed the spin off in December 2012, after a strategic review to improve shareholder and company value. Activist firm Trian Partners, which acquired a 7% stake in Ingersoll-Rand in 2012 and a seat on the company’s board, was instrumental in pushing for a break up of the company that eventually culminated in the spin off of the security business. The division, according to news reports, accounts for 15% of Ingersoll-Rand’s revenue. After the spin off, Ingersoll reported its financial results as two segments—climate and industrial. For the fourth quarter, Ingersoll-Rand reported a profit of $47.6 million, or $0.16 a share, a decline from $235.6 million, or $0.78 a share due to a slowdown in the U.S. construction […]

Avigilon (AVO) DowngradedBy RBC Capital To Sector Perform

Share on StockTwits Avigilon (TSE:AVO) was downgraded by investment analysts at RBC Capital from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Analyst Ratings Network reports. They currently have a C$31.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of C$28.00. RBC Capital’s price objective points to a potential upside of 0.03% from the company’s current price. Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Analysts at BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Avigilon from C$27.00 to C$36.00 in a research note to investors on Wednesday. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock. Separately, analysts at TD Securities initiated coverage on shares of Avigilon in a research note to investors on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a C$39.00 price target on the stock. Finally, analysts at CIBC raised their price target on shares of Avigilon from C$20.00 to C$32.00 in a research note to investors on Thursday, November 7th. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Avigilon presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of C$27.61. Shares of Avigilon ( TSE:AVO ) traded down 0.84% on Wednesday, hitting $30.73. The stock had a trading volume of 201,295 shares. Avigilon has a 1-year low of $10.75 and a 1-year […]

There Is Still Value In ScanSource

For some people, ScanSource ( SCSC ) may appear as though its merry days are over, while for others, they believe there is still some significant amount of value left in this leading specialty technology products distributor. In my opinion, both could be right. I cannot dismiss the fact that ScanSource’s business, which spreads across two major segments, Barcode & Security and Communication & Services, could be boosted by various catalysts, such as increased demand for value added products, and the recent reorganization of its business units from geographical to product-based segments, among others. On the other hand, the company’s revenues seem to be slowing, while margins remain low. Additionally, The company’s stock is trading at new all time highs in terms of P/E, which means, unless there is an improvement on earnings, then it is highly unlikely that the shares could rise any further. Additionally, ScanSource’s shares are approaching its multi-year all time highs, achieved when it traded pretty cheap in terms of P/E. ScanSource, The Business As noted, ScanSource operates across two major business segments, the Barcode & Security segment, which focuses on automatic identification and data capture, as well as Point of sale [POS] and electronic physical security technologies. Communications & Services on the other hand, focuses on communication technologies and services, which include voice and data products like voice recognition and call center management, and IP (internet protocol) communication applications among others. However, note that ScanSource is by no means a vendor of any of […]

GeoVision Stock Surges On Brokerage Firm Recommendation

Digital surveillance equipment supplier GeoVision Inc saw its shares soar by the maximum daily limit yesterday to their highest level in five years, after Hong Kong-based brokerage CLSA Global Markets said the company is its top pick among global Internet protocol (IP) camera makers. The company’s share price rose 6.78 percent to NT$181 as 1.64 […]