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

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $348.38.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target 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. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Monday, March 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Motorola Solutions

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MSI. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 71.4% in the fourth quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 96 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Motco increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 137.5% in the fourth quarter. Motco now owns 95 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 78.7% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Motorola Solutions Trading Up 0.1 %

MSI opened at $345.69 on Wednesday. Motorola Solutions has a 1-year low of $269.64 and a 1-year high of $355.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $340.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $321.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.43 billion, a PE ratio of 34.81, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.90.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.38 EPS. Motorola Solutions’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 39.48%.

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.