Conning Inc. Acquires 68 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Conning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 869 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Conning Inc.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 8.9% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 189,360 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $67,219,000 after purchasing an additional 15,488 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 24,237 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $7,589,000 after acquiring an additional 3,278 shares during the last quarter. First Foundation Advisors boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 37.7% in the first quarter. First Foundation Advisors now owns 354 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. BDF Gestion purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions in the second quarter valued at about $7,377,000. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 29.8% in the fourth quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 20,036 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,273,000 after acquiring an additional 4,594 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $372.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $437.40.

Motorola Solutions Trading Up 0.7 %

MSI traded up $2.85 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $435.21. 418,196 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 662,071. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.16, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $399.25 and a 200 day moving average of $366.62. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $269.64 and a 12-month high of $436.45.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.59 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.04% and a return on equity of 378.15%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.41 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.09 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is 48.45%.

Insider Transactions at Motorola Solutions

In other news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total value of $9,773,887.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,079,557.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total value of $9,773,887.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,821 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,079,557.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 690 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.11, for a total transaction of $257,445.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,037,488.51. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,949 shares of company stock valued at $12,002,807. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.