Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 3.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 193,300 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 7,831 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $56,683,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 23.6% in the second quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 183 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Waldron Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Motorola Solutions by 2.3% in the first quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Lincoln National Corp raised its position in Motorola Solutions by 2.0% in the first quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 2,178 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in Motorola Solutions by 3.4% in the second quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,354 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $397,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC raised its position in Motorola Solutions by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 1,568 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $404,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In related news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 5,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $1,790,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,156,680. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 5,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $1,790,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,156,680. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 65,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.27, for a total value of $19,842,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 62,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,958,793.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 76,506 shares of company stock valued at $23,359,370. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Motorola Solutions Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:MSI opened at $318.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.51, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $251.00 and a fifty-two week high of $320.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $287.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $286.24. The stock has a market cap of $52.83 billion, a PE ratio of 32.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.91.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The communications equipment provider reported $3.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.03 by $0.16. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 668.00% and a net margin of 17.30%. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.79 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 10.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 12th. Investors of record on Friday, December 15th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This is a boost from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is presently 35.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on MSI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $320.00 to $311.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 7th. Raymond James lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $315.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $330.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $329.00 to $322.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $312.57.

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.