Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Hits New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $400.00 to $405.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Motorola Solutions traded as high as $356.17 and last traded at $352.43, with a volume of 197429 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $336.24.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on MSI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started 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 for the company. StockNews.com raised Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Barclays upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $362.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday, March 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $351.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Motorola Solutions

In other 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 owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,961,229.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $58.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $342.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $323.39.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $2.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 441.65%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.38 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. 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 given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is presently 39.48%.

About Motorola Solutions

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.