Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $495.00.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays decreased their target price 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. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $465.00 price objective (down previously from $495.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $500.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE MSI opened at $374.23 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $62.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.03, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.59. Motorola Solutions has a twelve month low of $365.40 and a twelve month high of $495.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $413.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $430.28.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The communications equipment provider reported $4.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.21. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 118.48%. The business had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.74 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Motorola Solutions will post 13.55 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.21 per share. This represents a $4.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is presently 34.99%.

Insider Transactions at Motorola Solutions

In other Motorola Solutions 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 value of $825,231.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.50, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 51.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 76,700 shares of company stock worth $37,046,731 in the last three months. 1.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Motorola Solutions

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. United Community Bank grew its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 81.3% during the third quarter. United Community Bank now owns 58 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.