AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Sells 12,991 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd reduced its position in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 46.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,881 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after selling 12,991 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd's holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $6,515,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mystic Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 34.6% during the first quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 855 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 3.1% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,280 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,874,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Independent Wealth Network Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.7% during the first quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 2,730 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,195,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 16.8% during the first quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 855 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $374,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 4,795 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $2,099,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MSI. Wall Street Zen lowered Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $490.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $510.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 1,073 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.68, for a total transaction of $449,243.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 804 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $336,618.72. This trade represents a 57.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

MSI stock traded down $0.49 on Tuesday, hitting $420.42. 215,862 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 828,714. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $385.17 and a 1-year high of $507.82. The stock has a market cap of $70.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $416.94 and a 200-day moving average of $430.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.17. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 18.67% and a return on equity of 160.93%. The business had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.81 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a $1.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. Motorola Solutions's payout ratio is presently 36.39%.

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.