Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $358.86.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MSI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $400.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 3rd. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, March 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $362.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

MSI stock opened at $373.80 on Thursday. Motorola Solutions has a 1 year low of $269.64 and a 1 year high of $373.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $355.25 and a 200 day moving average of $336.39. The company has a market cap of $62.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.21, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.16, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The communications equipment provider reported $2.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.29. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 398.16%. The business had revenue of $2.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions will post 12.07 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Motorola Solutions news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 2,615 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.68, for a total value of $927,488.20. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,138 shares in the company, valued at $403,625.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP James A. Niewiara sold 810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.09, for a total transaction of $290,052.90. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,650,156.74. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 2,615 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.68, for a total transaction of $927,488.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,138 shares in the company, valued at $403,625.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Motorola Solutions

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,228 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 2,910 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,033,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 6,771 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,404,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 4,754 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,488,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OmniStar Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,032 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.