Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $513.25.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen cut Motorola Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Motorola Solutions from $527.00 to $511.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Motorola Solutions

In other Motorola Solutions 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Motorola Solutions

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,501,114 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $9,413,403,000 after purchasing an additional 321,280 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,187,217 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,933,360,000 after acquiring an additional 451,172 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,374,532 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,477,404,000 after acquiring an additional 66,766 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,030,915 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,400,980,000 after acquiring an additional 334,639 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,921,004 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,278,845,000 after acquiring an additional 47,368 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company's stock.

Motorola Solutions Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of MSI traded down $1.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $416.50. 720,333 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 824,864. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42. Motorola Solutions has a 1 year low of $385.17 and a 1 year high of $507.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.77, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.95. The business's 50-day moving average price is $416.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $432.84.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.17. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 160.93% and a net margin of 18.67%. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.81 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions will post 13.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $1.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Motorola Solutions's payout ratio is 36.39%.

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.