Citigroup Inc. Purchases 74,905 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Key Points

• Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 45.9% during the first quarter, raising its total to approximately $104.2 million in shares.
• Institutional investors now own 84.17% of Motorola Solutions, with significant increases in positions from firms like Vanguard and Goldman Sachs.
• Motorola Solutions reported a quarterly EPS of $3.57, exceeding analyst expectations, with a revenue of $2.77 billion, representing a 5.2% year-over-year increase.

Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 45.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 238,073 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 74,905 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.14% of Motorola Solutions worth $104,231,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSI. ORG Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Motorola Solutions by 346.2% in the first quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 58 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the first quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors own 84.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on MSI shares. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $511.00 to $509.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $490.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $512.67.

Motorola Solutions Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of MSI stock traded down $0.87 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $470.33. 913,626 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 912,606. The business has a 50 day moving average of $423.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $427.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.86. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $388.90 and a 52 week high of $507.82. The company has a market capitalization of $78.36 billion, a PE ratio of 37.87, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.97.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.36 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.74 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 19.08% and a return on equity of 134.30%. The firm's revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.24 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. Motorola Solutions's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.10%.

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.