UBS Group AG Has $319.48 Million Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. $MSI

Key Points

• UBS Group AG increased its stake in Motorola Solutions by 14.2% to 833,464 shares, now worth roughly $319.48 million and representing about 0.50% of the company.
• Insider selling was significant: CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares for about $23.4 million (a 51.46% reduction in his position), and insiders sold 129,069 shares totaling roughly $60.78 million in the last quarter.
• Motorola beat Q4 estimates with $4.59 EPS vs. $4.35 expected and 12.3% revenue growth, while analysts maintain an average Buy rating and an average target price of about $502.50.

UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 833,464 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 103,429 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 0.50% of Motorola Solutions worth $319,484,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. United Community Bank grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 81.3% during the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 58 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Field & Main Bank acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In related news, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $468.09, for a total value of $23,404,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 47,167 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,078,401.03. This trade represents a 51.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Cynthia Yazdi sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $471.01, for a total transaction of $3,297,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 9,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,488,254.29. The trade was a 42.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 129,069 shares of company stock valued at $60,779,964. 1.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on MSI shares. Barclays increased their price target on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $506.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $499.00 price target (up from $443.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $502.50.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

MSI stock opened at $431.97 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.80 billion, a PE ratio of 33.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.99. The company's 50-day moving average is $453.62 and its 200-day moving average is $417.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $359.36 and a 1 year high of $492.22.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The communications equipment provider reported $4.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.34 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 110.75%. The business's revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.04 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 15.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th were given a $1.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 20th. This represents a $4.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Motorola Solutions's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.93%.

About Motorola Solutions

Motorola Solutions, Inc is a provider of mission-critical communications and analytics solutions for public safety and commercial customers. The company designs, manufactures and supports a range of communications equipment and software aimed at enabling first responders, government agencies and enterprises to coordinate and operate reliably in high-pressure environments. Its offerings emphasize secure, resilient connectivity and situational awareness for organizations that require dependable voice, data and video communications.

Product lines include land mobile radio (LMR) systems and handheld and vehicle-mounted radios used by police, fire and emergency medical services; broadband push-to-talk and LTE-based solutions; command-and-control center software for incident management and records; and video security and analytics systems.

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