Kennedy Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 25,787 Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ALSN)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ALSN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 25,787 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,787,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ALSN. SRH Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Allison Transmission during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Allison Transmission during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Allison Transmission during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in Allison Transmission in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Allison Transmission in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

Allison Transmission Stock Performance

Shares of ALSN stock opened at $88.65 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $98.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.32. The company has a quick ratio of 2.42, a current ratio of 3.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.55 billion, a PE ratio of 10.67 and a beta of 0.95. Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $71.49 and a 52-week high of $122.53.

Allison Transmission (NYSE:ALSN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The auto parts company reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.11. Allison Transmission had a return on equity of 47.95% and a net margin of 22.67%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. will post 9.06 EPS for the current year.

Allison Transmission Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.27 dividend. This is an increase from Allison Transmission’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Allison Transmission’s payout ratio is presently 13.00%.

Allison Transmission declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the auto parts company to purchase up to 57.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ALSN shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Allison Transmission from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Allison Transmission from $108.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Allison Transmission from $110.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Allison Transmission from $110.00 to $98.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.00.

Insider Transactions at Allison Transmission

In related news, SVP John Coll sold 1,788 shares of Allison Transmission stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.33, for a total value of $170,450.04. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,388 shares in the company, valued at $1,466,938.04. The trade was a 10.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Ryan A. Milburn sold 4,546 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.20, for a total value of $437,325.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,360,075.60. The trade was a 24.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

About Allison Transmission

Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and medium- and heavy-tactical U.S. defense vehicles, and electrified propulsion systems worldwide. It provides commercial-duty on-highway, off-highway and defense fully automatic transmissions, and electric hybrid and fully electric systems.