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

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI – Get Rating) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $290.67.

MSI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Credit Suisse Group cut shares of Motorola Solutions from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $270.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $306.00 to $303.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $300.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Thursday. Edward Jones lowered shares of Motorola Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

Motorola Solutions Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MSI opened at $264.24 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.92. Motorola Solutions has a 1-year low of $195.18 and a 1-year high of $275.16. The company’s fifty day moving average is $262.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $253.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.90, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 9th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.43 by $0.17. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.96% and a negative return on equity of 663.73%. The business had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions will post 10.09 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be given a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.39%.

Insider Transactions at Motorola Solutions

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.33, for a total transaction of $399,495.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,001.29. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.33, for a total value of $399,495.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,313 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,001.29. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 26,933 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.25, for a total transaction of $7,305,576.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 48,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,058,517.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 37,167 shares of company stock valued at $10,066,483 over the last three months. 1.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MSI. Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. HM Payson & Co. grew its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 52.3% during the 4th quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 134 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Motorola Solutions

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Motorola Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of communication infrastructure, devices, accessories, software, and services. It operates through the following 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 the implementation and integration of such systems, devices, and applications.