Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) CAO Sells $927,488.20 in Stock

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 2,615 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.68, for a total transaction of $927,488.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $403,625.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of MSI traded up $1.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $360.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 526,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 667,761. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.16. The stock has a market cap of $60.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.53, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.91. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $269.64 and a 1-year high of $361.68. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $344.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $325.55.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.27. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 398.16%. The company had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Institutional Trading of Motorola Solutions

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $646,341,000. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter worth about $339,283,000. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $178,361,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 67.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,193,146 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $324,614,000 after purchasing an additional 482,023 shares during the period. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $77,388,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $355.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, March 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com raised Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $400.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.43.

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.