Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Hits New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $400.00 to $405.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Motorola Solutions traded as high as $356.17 and last traded at $352.43, with a volume of 197429 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $336.24.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday, March 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $362.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began 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 on the stock. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $351.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Motorola Solutions

In related news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total value of $1,585,919.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,961,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Motorola Solutions

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,228 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $436,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 2,910 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,033,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 4,754 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,488,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Motorola Solutions by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,032 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $636,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 21.3% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 188 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $343.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $323.81. The company has a market capitalization of $58.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.72, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.91.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 408.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.38 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

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.