NatWest Group plc Boosts Stock Holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. $MSI

Key Points

• NatWest Group plc increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 15.0%, acquiring an additional 1,829 shares, totaling 14,009 shares valued at approximately $6.13 million.
• Motorola Solutions recently reported earnings that surpassed expectations, with an EPS of $3.57 compared to the consensus estimate of $3.36, and revenue of $2.77 billion, up 5.2% year-over-year.
• CEO Gregory Q. Brown and COO John P. Molloy both significantly reduced their positions by selling large quantities of shares, indicating potential insider confidence issues, as they collectively sold shares worth over $55 million.

NatWest Group plc raised its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 15.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,009 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,829 shares during the quarter. Motorola Solutions makes up about 1.8% of NatWest Group plc's portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. NatWest Group plc's holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $6,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSI. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter worth $208,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 24,822 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $11,474,000 after acquiring an additional 6,194 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter worth $936,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,210 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $2,408,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 43,530 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $20,121,000 after acquiring an additional 8,356 shares in the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO John P. Molloy sold 37,514 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.38, for a total transaction of $17,345,723.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 59,328 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,432,080.64. This trade represents a 38.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Rajan Naik sold 8,014 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $474.45, for a total transaction of $3,802,242.30. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,244 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,860,265.80. This trade represents a 43.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 170,893 shares of company stock worth $79,372,103. Insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of MSI traded up $0.46 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $479.08. 631,188 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 970,412. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $442.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $427.81. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $388.90 and a 52 week high of $507.82. The company has a market cap of $79.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.57, a PEG ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.96.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.36 by $0.21. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 19.08% and a return on equity of 134.30%. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.24 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Motorola Solutions has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 3.820-3.870 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 14.880-14.980 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.0109 per share. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Motorola Solutions's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MSI. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $500.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $511.00 to $509.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $490.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $516.13.

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.