Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 1,185 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its position in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,579 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,185 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $11,453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSI. Northwest Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Motorola Solutions by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 96 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 73.2% during the 4th quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. now owns 123 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction of $1,585,919.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,961,229.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MSI. 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 objective for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $348.38.

Motorola Solutions Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE MSI opened at $335.98 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37. The company has a fifty day moving average of $342.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $323.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.83, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.91. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $269.64 and a 52 week high of $355.39.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $2.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 441.65%. Motorola Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.38 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 39.48%.

Motorola Solutions 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.