Eagle Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Eagle Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 75.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 60,771 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 191,237 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $27,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 71.8% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 67 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 871.4% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 68 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of MSI opened at $500.90 on Friday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $307.09 and a 52-week high of $507.82. The company has a market capitalization of $83.71 billion, a PE ratio of 54.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $465.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $419.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.76 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 251.96% and a net margin of 14.65%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. This is an increase from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MSI. Barclays raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $467.00 to $529.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Raymond James raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $425.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $493.43.

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.