Ethic Inc. Raises Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Ethic Inc. raised its position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 84.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,310 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,355 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $2,092,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 37.0% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 185 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 4th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $329.00 to $322.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 4th. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $315.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $320.00 to $311.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $309.67.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Motorola Solutions stock opened at $283.68 on Friday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.76 and a 1 year high of $299.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $286.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $282.22. The company has a market cap of $47.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.14, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.23.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The communications equipment provider reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.14. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 15.72% and a return on equity of 2,157.02%. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share. Motorola Solutions’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 13th. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.24%. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 39.91%.

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.58, for a total value of $284,580.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 8,101 shares in the company, valued at $2,305,382.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.