Russell Investments Group Ltd. Increases Position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 200,161 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,302 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.12% of Motorola Solutions worth $62,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,350,325 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $639,853,000 after buying an additional 37,718 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in Motorola Solutions by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,155,597 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $674,896,000 after acquiring an additional 96,421 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 0.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,006,858 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $546,347,000 after acquiring an additional 8,514 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,841,890 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $501,436,000 after acquiring an additional 27,874 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,605,900 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $437,190,000 after purchasing an additional 36,061 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE MSI opened at $346.48 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $57.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.90. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $269.64 and a fifty-two week high of $355.39. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $341.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $322.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 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 return on equity of 441.65% and a net margin of 17.12%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.38 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 39.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on MSI. Barclays lifted 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. StockNews.com upgraded Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, March 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $348.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Motorola Solutions news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total transaction of $1,585,919.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,961,229.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.