Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Takes Position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 750 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $327,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $496,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. PAX Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 14.6% in the first quarter. PAX Financial Group LLC now owns 1,302 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $570,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 6.8% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 30,743 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $13,459,000 after buying an additional 1,948 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 4.3% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 68,295 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $29,899,000 after buying an additional 2,819 shares during the period. Finally, Lord & Richards Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the first quarter worth about $290,000. Institutional investors own 84.17% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $527.00 to $511.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $490.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $510.67.

Motorola Solutions Stock Down 0.2%

MSI traded down $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $420.40. 741,394 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 898,899. The company has a market cap of $70.17 billion, a PE ratio of 35.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.95. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $416.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $430.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $385.17 and a one year high of $507.82.

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

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

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

Motorola Solutions 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.