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

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund 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.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $62,638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Northwest Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Motorola Solutions by 71.4% in the fourth quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 96 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. lifted its position in Motorola Solutions by 73.2% in the fourth quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. now owns 123 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the third quarter worth about $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, March 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, February 9th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $333.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $348.38.

Motorola Solutions Stock Down 0.7 %

MSI stock opened at $346.48 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $341.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $322.44. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $269.64 and a 12 month high of $355.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.56 billion, a PE ratio of 34.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.90.

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. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 441.65% and a net margin of 17.12%. The firm had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.38 EPS. Motorola Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Motorola Solutions

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

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.