Benson Investment Management Company Inc. Invests $5.45 Million in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Benson Investment Management Company Inc. acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 12,448 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,450,000. Motorola Solutions accounts for 2.4% of Benson Investment Management Company Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,179,834 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $9,789,955,000 after purchasing an additional 310,919 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,187,217 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,933,360,000 after purchasing an additional 451,172 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $1,528,949,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,030,915 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,400,980,000 after purchasing an additional 334,639 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $1,073,645,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $527.00 to $511.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $513.25.

Motorola Solutions Stock Up 0.4%

MSI stock traded up $1.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $417.80. 594,704 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 809,901. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $370.00 and a 12-month high of $507.82. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $419.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $444.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.96.

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

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Motorola Solutions

In other news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 1,073 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $418.68, for a total value of $449,243.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $336,618.72. This trade represents a 57.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

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.