Empirical Finance LLC Sells 64 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Empirical Finance LLC cut its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,682 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 64 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $2,626,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the third quarter worth about $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the third quarter worth about $32,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

MSI opened at $479.40 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $470.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $456.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23. The company has a market cap of $80.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.02. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $314.84 and a 12-month high of $507.82.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.36. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 251.96% and a net margin of 14.65%. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.76 billion. Research analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a dividend of $1.09 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This is an increase from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $467.00 to $529.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Raymond James upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $425.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $430.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $504.88.

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.