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

Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $348.38.

MSI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $333.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Motorola Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday, March 25th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total transaction of $1,585,919.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,961,229.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions in the first quarter worth $206,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Motorola Solutions by 10.7% in the first quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,029 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $6,045,000 after acquiring an additional 1,647 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Motorola Solutions by 12.7% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 541 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Motorola Solutions by 2.7% in the first quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,013 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,765,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in Motorola Solutions by 17.6% in the first quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 881 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $313,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MSI traded up $0.40 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $340.51. 533,558 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 617,448. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.90. Motorola Solutions has a 52-week low of $269.64 and a 52-week high of $355.39. The company has a 50-day moving average of $338.77 and a 200-day moving average of $318.90.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 441.65%. The company's revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.38 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions will post 11.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.15%. Motorola Solutions's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.48%.

About Motorola Solutions

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.