Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires 1,633 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 48.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,037 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,633 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $2,205,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MSI. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,528,949,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at $1,073,645,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 43,787.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,084,455 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $474,785,000 after purchasing an additional 1,081,984 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 330.1% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 631,551 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $291,922,000 after purchasing an additional 484,727 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,187,217 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $1,933,360,000 after acquiring an additional 451,172 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Motorola Solutions

In other news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 1,073 shares of the 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 directly owns 804 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $336,618.72. This represents a 57.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of MSI stock traded down $4.91 on Monday, reaching $413.01. 616,382 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 809,126. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $370.00 and a 12-month high of $507.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a market capitalization of $68.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.96. The business's 50 day moving average price is $419.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $443.60.

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, 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 analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.81 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $1.09 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. Motorola Solutions's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays decreased their price target on Motorola Solutions from $527.00 to $511.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $513.25.

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.