Bell Asset Management Ltd Invests $6.31 Million in Motorola Solutions, Inc. $MSI

Bell Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 15,001 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,307,000. Motorola Solutions accounts for 1.4% of Bell Asset Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 1st quarter worth $650,426,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 1.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,885,593 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $9,202,016,000 after buying an additional 384,479 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 49.1% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 746,011 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $325,558,000 after acquiring an additional 245,739 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the second quarter valued at about $87,162,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 14.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,520,116 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $665,522,000 after acquiring an additional 187,400 shares during the period. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In related news, SVP Rajan Naik sold 8,014 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $474.45, for a total value of $3,802,242.30. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,244 shares in the company, valued at $4,860,265.80. This trade represents a 43.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP James A. Niewiara sold 1,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $485.43, for a total transaction of $825,231.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,542 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,059,123.06. This represents a 10.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 110,614 shares of company stock valued at $53,085,917 in the last three months. 1.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of MSI stock opened at $370.25 on Thursday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $365.40 and a 12-month high of $503.62. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $426.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $432.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.86. The company has a market cap of $61.67 billion, a PE ratio of 29.81, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.96.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The communications equipment provider reported $4.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.21. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 134.30% and a net margin of 19.08%.The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.74 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.21 per share. This represents a $4.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $465.00 target price (down previously from $495.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $500.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Monday. Barclays reduced their price target on Motorola Solutions from $509.00 to $495.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $490.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $502.50.

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.