APG Asset Management US Inc. Boosts Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

APG Asset Management US Inc. increased its position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 22.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 116,545 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,242 shares during the period. APG Asset Management US Inc. owned 0.07% of Motorola Solutions worth $45,029,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 71.8% in the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 67 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 1,424 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,228 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 2,910 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,350 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on MSI shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $460.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Bank of America upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $372.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $466.17.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE MSI opened at $450.49 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.03. The business’s 50 day moving average is $420.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $383.06. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $269.64 and a 12-month high of $452.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.68, a PEG ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.97.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.23. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 337.36% and a net margin of 14.04%. The company had revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.41 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.22 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total value of $9,773,887.50. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 46,821 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,079,557.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.