Blue Trust Inc. Raises Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 52.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,320 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,487 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $1,942,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Motorola Solutions by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,166 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $365,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 5.7% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,982 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,058,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 9.6% during the first quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,320 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $824,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the first quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Finally, Austin Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions in the first quarter valued at approximately $226,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Motorola Solutions

In related news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total value of $9,773,887.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 46,821 shares in the company, valued at $19,079,557.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of MSI stock opened at $475.20 on Friday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $271.73 and a 52-week high of $480.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $442.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $396.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.26 billion, a PE ratio of 58.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.97.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.23. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 337.36% and a net margin of 14.04%. The business had revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.41 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.22 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 48.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Barclays upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $372.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $466.17.

Motorola Solutions 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.