Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Position Lessened by SouthState Corp

Key Points

• SouthState Corp reduced its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 5.4%, selling 776 shares in the first quarter and now owning 13,484 shares valued at approximately $5.9 million.
• Motorola Solutions reported $3.57 EPS in its latest quarterly earnings, surpassing expectations, and its revenue increased by 5.2% year-over-year to $2.77 billion.
• Wall Street analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Motorola Solutions, with a target price of $512.67, as nine analysts have issued buy ratings.

SouthState Corp reduced its position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,484 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after selling 776 shares during the quarter. SouthState Corp's holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $5,903,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its stake in Motorola Solutions by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 471 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $206,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 636 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,315 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 17.1% in the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 185 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 1,079 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in 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 Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $418.68, for a total transaction of $449,243.64. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $336,618.72. The trade was a 57.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

Motorola Solutions Trading Down 1.8%

MSI stock traded down $8.28 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $461.92. 584,266 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 910,303. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.86. 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 $76.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.97. The stock's fifty day moving average is $424.10 and its 200-day moving average is $427.76.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.57 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.24 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a dividend of $1.09 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Motorola Solutions's payout ratio is currently 35.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MSI. Barclays set a $509.00 price target on Motorola Solutions and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $490.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $512.67.

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.