LPL Financial LLC Grows Position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC has increased its stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. by 9.9%, now owning approximately 135,091 shares valued at about $59.14 million.
• Motorola Solutions has recently experienced changes in analyst ratings, including a downgrade from "buy" to "hold" by Wall Street Zen, while UBS initiated coverage with a "buy" rating and a price target of $490.00.
• Motorola Solutions reported earnings of $3.18 EPS for the last quarter, beating estimates, with a revenue increase of 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 9.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 135,091 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 12,175 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned about 0.08% of Motorola Solutions worth $59,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Community Bank N.A. purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Motorola Solutions during the first quarter valued at about $37,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on MSI. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Motorola Solutions in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. They set a "buy" rating and a $490.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Motorola Solutions from $527.00 to $511.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $510.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Motorola Solutions news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 1,073 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.68, for a total value of $449,243.64. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 804 shares in the company, valued at $336,618.72. This represents a 57.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Motorola Solutions stock opened at $439.18 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.66, a PEG ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.95. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $388.90 and a one year high of $507.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $418.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $428.78.

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

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Motorola Solutions's payout ratio is currently 36.39%.

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.

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