Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Receives $328.29 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $337.25.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $333.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. 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 target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, February 9th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Motorola Solutions news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total value of $1,585,919.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,961,229.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MSI. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 11.6% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,918 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $949,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 11,087 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,685,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 2,870 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the 1st quarter valued at $225,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Motorola Solutions by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 55,177 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $13,362,000 after buying an additional 3,741 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

MSI opened at $353.31 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $58.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.90. Motorola Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $269.64 and a fifty-two week high of $353.53. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $331.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37.

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, 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 firm had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.38 earnings per share. Motorola Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Motorola Solutions will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

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

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.