Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 65.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,646 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after selling 12,609 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $2,081,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

MSI stock traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $339.65. The stock had a trading volume of 1,392,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 494,276. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.42 billion, a PE ratio of 34.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.90. 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 50-day simple moving average of $339.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $320.16. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $269.64 and a fifty-two week high of $355.39.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $2.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.38 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on MSI. Barclays upped their target price 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. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Monday, March 25th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, January 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $350.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $348.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Motorola Solutions

In other Motorola Solutions news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total value of $1,585,919.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,961,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.