Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $348.38.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $333.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday, March 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Friday, February 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Motorola Solutions

In other Motorola Solutions news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total value of $1,585,919.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,961,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Motorola Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 61.1% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 333,697 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $90,846,000 after buying an additional 126,517 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 839,123 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $260,204,000 after purchasing an additional 17,807 shares in the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 224.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC now owns 3,891 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,059,000 after purchasing an additional 2,691 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 74,767 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $20,353,000 after purchasing an additional 6,671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 4,004 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of MSI stock opened at $339.94 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.47 billion, a PE ratio of 34.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.90. Motorola Solutions has a 52-week low of $269.64 and a 52-week high of $355.39. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $338.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $318.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.27. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 441.65% and a net margin of 17.12%. The firm had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions will post 11.74 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.48%.

Motorola Solutions Company Profile

Motorola Solutions, Inc provides public safety and enterprise security solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Products and Systems Integration, and Software and Services. The Products and Systems Integration segment offers a portfolio of infrastructure, devices, accessories, and video security devices and infrastructure, as well as the implementation and integration of systems, devices, software, and applications for government, public safety, and commercial customers who operate private communications networks and video security solutions, as well as manage a mobile workforce.