Marietta Investment Partners LLC Acquires 1,659 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Marietta Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 189.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,535 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,659 shares during the period. Marietta Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $1,172,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Motorola Solutions by 5,403.9% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,720 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $16,061,000 after purchasing an additional 35,071 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 587,077 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $263,967,000 after purchasing an additional 46,731 shares during the period. National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 470,878 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $217,654,000 after acquiring an additional 87,722 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,423,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,404 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,573,000 after buying an additional 712 shares in the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on MSI. StockNews.com raised Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $505.88.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

NYSE:MSI opened at $423.39 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $446.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $459.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market cap of $70.68 billion, a PE ratio of 45.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.03. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $332.98 and a one year high of $507.82.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.85 by ($0.10). Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 197.59% and a net margin of 14.58%. The business had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $1.09 dividend. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.29%.

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.