Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Coverage Initiated at Evercore ISI

Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) in a research report released on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $400.00 target price on the communications equipment provider’s stock.

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

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE MSI opened at $353.31 on Monday. Motorola Solutions has a 1-year low of $269.64 and a 1-year high of $353.53. The company has a market capitalization of $58.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.59, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $331.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.27. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 441.65% and a net margin of 17.12%. The firm had revenue of $2.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.38 EPS. Motorola Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Motorola Solutions will post 11.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In related news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total value of $1,585,919.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,961,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MSI. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 11.6% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,918 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 3.1% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 11,087 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,685,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 8.8% during the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 2,870 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $695,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the first quarter worth about $225,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 7.3% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 55,177 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $13,362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,741 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.17% 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.