Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Decreases Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. $MSI

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lessened its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 14.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,787 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 10,586 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $29,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 289.5% during the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 74 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 148.6% in the 2nd quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 87 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 47.1% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 103 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Shares of MSI opened at $366.66 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $434.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $433.51. The stock has a market cap of $61.07 billion, a PE ratio of 29.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.96. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $365.75 and a 1-year high of $503.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.86, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.54.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The communications equipment provider reported $4.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.85 by $0.21. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 19.08% and a return on equity of 134.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.74 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $1.21 per share. This is an increase from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. This represents a $4.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.99%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP James A. Niewiara sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $485.43, for a total transaction of $825,231.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,542 shares in the company, valued at $7,059,123.06. This trade represents a 10.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.50, for a total value of $24,175,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 46,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,693,556. This represents a 51.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 110,614 shares of company stock valued at $53,085,917. 1.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MSI. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $465.00 price target (down previously from $495.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $509.00 to $495.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $500.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $490.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $506.43.

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.