Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $1.22 Million Holdings in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 9,358 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 613 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Allegion were worth $1,223,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Allegion in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in Allegion by 56.1% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 320 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its position in Allegion by 78.0% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 388 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Allegion by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 402 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Allegion by 207.7% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 440 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Allegion Price Performance

Shares of ALLE stock opened at $128.32 on Monday. Allegion plc has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $156.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.07 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 2.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $129.55 and its 200-day moving average is $136.25.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.11. Allegion had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 45.12%. The firm had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $938.91 million. Equities research analysts expect that Allegion plc will post 7.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. This is a positive change from Allegion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Allegion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Allegion news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack purchased 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was bought at an average price of $125.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,920.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,920. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP David S. Ilardi sold 789 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.28, for a total transaction of $98,845.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,205,820. This trade represents a 7.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,224 shares of company stock valued at $406,636. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ALLE. StockNews.com cut Allegion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Allegion from $152.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Allegion from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Allegion from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Allegion from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Allegion presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $137.67.

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.