Cerity Partners LLC Buys 7,083 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 196.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,695 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,083 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $3,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSI. Norges Bank bought a new position in Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $470,994,000. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter worth approximately $339,283,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 67.8% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,193,146 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $324,614,000 after purchasing an additional 482,023 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 216.7% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 435,149 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $105,393,000 after purchasing an additional 297,740 shares during the period. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the third quarter worth approximately $77,388,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on MSI. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, March 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $348.38.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of Motorola Solutions stock opened at $340.51 on Thursday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $269.64 and a fifty-two week high of $355.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.90. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $338.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $318.90.

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

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Motorola Solutions

In other news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total transaction of $1,585,919.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,961,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions 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.