Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 21,179,834 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 310,919 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.13% of Motorola Solutions worth $9,789,955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tradition Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Motorola Solutions by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 654 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. boosted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 5,055 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,337,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 0.4% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 5,812 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,613,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 0.9% in the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,989 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,343,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,289 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $596,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Trading Up 0.3 %

MSI opened at $423.39 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $446.45 and its 200-day moving average is $459.64. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $332.98 and a 52-week high of $507.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.58% and a return on equity of 197.59%. Analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $505.88.

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.