Ethic Inc. Raises Position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Ethic Inc. increased its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 17.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,288 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,374 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $7,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 5,055 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $2,337,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 235 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 22.5% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 136 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,289 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 636 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.17% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MSI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Barclays lowered their price target on Motorola Solutions from $527.00 to $511.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $513.25.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSI traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $413.22. 824,775 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 777,420. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $420.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $451.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $356.77 and a 12 month high of $507.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.98.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.58% and a return on equity of 197.59%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.81 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions's payout ratio is 36.39%.

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.