Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd Purchases New Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,083,661 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $339,283,000. Motorola Solutions accounts for about 3.4% of Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd owned 0.65% of Motorola Solutions as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company's stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Up 1.3 %

MSI stock traded up $4.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $352.30. 421,958 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 612,198. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.00. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $269.64 and a 1-year high of $355.39. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $335.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $315.25. The company has a market cap of $58.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.90.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.27. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 441.65%. The company had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.38 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. Motorola Solutions's payout ratio is currently 39.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on MSI shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $350.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, March 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $333.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $337.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,961,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.