M&G PLC Sells 115,412 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. $MSI

Key Points

• M&G PLC cut its Motorola Solutions stake by 77.7% in the third quarter, selling 115,412 shares and ending the period with 33,034 shares valued at about $14.7 million.
• Motorola Solutions beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting EPS of $4.69 and revenue of $3.38 billion; revenue rose 12.2% year over year.
• Company insiders sold 156,418 shares worth about $80.1 million over 90 days. Meanwhile, analysts maintained a broadly positive outlook, with an average rating of “Buy.”

M&G PLC cut its position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 77.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,034 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after selling 115,412 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC's holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $14,733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aristotle Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $983,432,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the second quarter worth $374,617,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 34.3% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,381,506 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $599,532,000 after buying an additional 352,679 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 4.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,849,952 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $3,269,332,000 after buying an additional 323,725 shares during the period. Finally, SEB Asset Management AB acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the first quarter worth $112,734,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Motorola Solutions Stock Down 0.2%

Motorola Solutions stock opened at $526.89 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $87.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.86. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $359.36 and a 52 week high of $548.28. The business's 50-day moving average price is $469.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $443.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.03.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The communications equipment provider reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.42 by $0.27. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 94.49% and a net margin of 16.54%. The business had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.06 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th were paid a $1.21 dividend. This represents a $4.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 16th. Motorola Solutions's payout ratio is currently 38.94%.

Insider Transactions at Motorola Solutions

In related news, COO John P. Molloy sold 40,982 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.45, for a total transaction of $21,083,189.90. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 69,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,666,818.50. This trade represents a 37.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jason J. Winkler sold 9,609 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $513.06, for a total transaction of $4,929,993.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,807,326.14. The trade was a 45.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 156,418 shares of company stock worth $80,087,836. Insiders own 1.28% of the company's stock.

More Motorola Solutions News

Here are the key news stories impacting Motorola Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Motorola Solutions beat Q3 earnings expectations, raised its guidance and reported a record backlog. Its shares gained roughly 7% following the results, contrasting with a sharp post-earnings decline for competitor Axon. Axon vs. Motorola: Which Public Safety Stock Has More Upside After Q3 Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: Several senior leaders reported selling shares in transactions on November 6 and 9. CEO Gregory Brown sold about 70,800 shares, while the CFO, COO and multiple senior vice presidents also reported sales—about 141,000 shares combined. Such sizable insider selling can concern investors, though the filings alone do not establish the reason for the sales. CEO Form 4 filing CFO Form 4 filing COO Form 4 filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MSI. Zacks Research lowered shares of Motorola Solutions from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Bank of America restated a "buy" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $476.00 target price (up from $470.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $550.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $545.70.

Motorola Solutions Company Profile

Motorola Solutions, Inc. provides communications, software, video security and related services for public safety agencies and commercial and industrial organizations. Its products include two-way radios and land mobile radio systems, dispatch consoles, command center software, video surveillance systems and access control technology. The company's offerings are designed to help customers coordinate communications, manage incidents and support security operations. Motorola Solutions also provides services such as system integration, maintenance and technical support.

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