Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Shares Sold by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC sold 5,443 shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc., reducing its position by 28.0%, leaving it with 14,028 shares valued at approximately $6.14 million.
• Motorola Solutions recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.09 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.03%.
• Despite recent price target reductions from analysts, Motorola Solutions maintains a Moderate Buy average rating with a target price of $510.67.

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 28.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,028 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after selling 5,443 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $6,142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSI. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Motorola Solutions by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 935 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $409,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Bryce Point Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $518,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 228.9% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 8,367 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $3,663,000 after buying an additional 5,823 shares during the period. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 828 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the first quarter worth approximately $874,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group initiated coverage on Motorola Solutions in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $490.00 target price on the stock. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $527.00 to $511.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $510.67.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE:MSI traded up $6.19 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $436.16. The stock had a trading volume of 215,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 883,982. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42. The stock has a market cap of $72.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $417.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $428.82. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $388.90 and a 12-month high of $507.82.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.81 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders 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 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. 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 the firm's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 804 shares of the company's stock, valued at $336,618.72. This trade represents a 57.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

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.