Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Sells 1,736 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group Inc. reduced its stake in Motorola Solutions by 3.1%, selling 1,736 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 53,806 shares valued at $23.56 million.
• Other institutional investors made significant changes, with GAMMA Investing LLC increasing its holdings by 43,787.3%, acquiring over 1 million shares valued at nearly $475 million.
• Motorola Solutions has experienced mixed analyst ratings, with Wall Street Zen downgrading the stock from "buy" to "hold," while UBS issued a "buy" rating with a price target of $490.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 3.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,806 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after selling 1,736 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $23,557,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $474,785,000 after acquiring an additional 1,081,984 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 209.3% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 559,306 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $258,528,000 after purchasing an additional 378,462 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 541.2% in the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 331,910 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $145,312,000 after purchasing an additional 280,145 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 698,816 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $323,020,000 after buying an additional 279,655 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,868,559 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $863,704,000 after buying an additional 256,707 shares during the period. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In related news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 1,073 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 804 shares in the company, valued at $336,618.72. This trade represents a 57.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Shares of Motorola Solutions stock opened at $434.77 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.20. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $388.90 and a 52-week high of $507.82. The company has a fifty day moving average of $419.42 and a 200-day moving average of $428.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.97.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a $1.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Motorola Solutions's payout ratio is currently 36.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on MSI. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $527.00 to $511.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $490.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $510.67.

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.

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