Brokerages Set Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Price Target at $328.29

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $337.25.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MSI shares. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $333.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,961,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Motorola Solutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Motco increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 137.5% during the fourth quarter. Motco now owns 95 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 71.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 96 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the second quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of Motorola Solutions stock opened at $353.31 on Friday. Motorola Solutions has a 12-month low of $269.64 and a 12-month high of $353.53. The company has a market cap of $58.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.59, 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. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $331.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $311.39.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 441.65%. Motorola Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.38 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Motorola Solutions will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 39.48%.

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.