Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at UBS Group

UBS Group began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) in a report published on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $490.00 price target on the communications equipment provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on MSI. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen cut Motorola Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Motorola Solutions from $527.00 to $511.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $510.67.

Motorola Solutions Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of MSI stock opened at $420.40 on Wednesday. Motorola Solutions has a 12 month low of $385.17 and a 12 month high of $507.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42. The business’s 50 day moving average is $416.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $430.68. The company has a market cap of $70.17 billion, a PE ratio of 35.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.95.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.17. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 160.93% and a net margin of 18.67%. The company had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Motorola Solutions will post 13.55 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a dividend of $1.09 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is presently 36.39%.

Insider Activity

In other Motorola Solutions news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 1,073 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $418.68, for a total transaction of $449,243.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $336,618.72. This trade represents a 57.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Motorola Solutions

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. ORG Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Motorola Solutions by 346.2% in the first quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 58 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Community Bank N.A. bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.