Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 337.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 477 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Planning Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

MSI stock opened at $459.72 on Thursday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $314.08 and a fifty-two week high of $507.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23. The company has a market capitalization of $76.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.35, a PEG ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $478.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $446.78.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.10 by $0.36. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 251.96% and a net margin of 14.65%. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.76 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a $1.09 dividend. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This is a boost from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MSI. 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $430.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $467.00 to $529.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $504.88.

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.