LPL Financial LLC Buys 12,048 Shares of Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE)

LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE - Free Report) by 17.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 80,053 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,048 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Allegion worth $10,461,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALLE. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Allegion during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Allegion during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Allegion by 33.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.21% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Allegion Price Performance

NYSE:ALLE traded down $2.59 on Tuesday, hitting $118.19. The company had a trading volume of 1,543,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 801,490. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. 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 $10.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $128.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.34.

Allegion (NYSE:ALLE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $945.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $938.91 million. Allegion had a return on equity of 45.12% and a net margin of 15.84%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Allegion plc will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Allegion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. This is an increase from Allegion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Allegion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.91%.

Insider Transactions at Allegion

In related news, SVP Tracy L. Kemp sold 2,032 shares of Allegion stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.74, for a total transaction of $257,535.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 10,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,302,000.02. This trade represents a 16.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack purchased 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,001,920. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,224 shares of company stock worth $406,636. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Allegion Company Profile

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.