Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 105,914 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 68.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 48,625 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 105,914 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $15,224,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $470,994,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 67.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,193,146 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $324,614,000 after buying an additional 482,023 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 527.0% in the 2nd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 361,210 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $105,936,000 after buying an additional 303,604 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 216.7% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 435,149 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $105,393,000 after acquiring an additional 297,740 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $77,388,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MSI opened at $354.91 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $331.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $311.68. The stock has a market cap of $58.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.74, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $269.64 and a 12 month high of $355.39.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 441.65%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.38 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.48%.

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In other Motorola Solutions news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total value of $1,585,919.20. Following 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 is available at the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MSI shares. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price objective for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $333.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $337.25.

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.