Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Shares Sold by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC lowered its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 13.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,529 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 229 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $543,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 3,159 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $989,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,455 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 2,255 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $204,000. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,198 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $400.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $362.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $374.57.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of Motorola Solutions stock traded up $1.59 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $397.01. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 121,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 649,239. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $381.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $353.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.16, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.19. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $269.64 and a one year high of $402.56. The stock has a market cap of $66.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.94.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The communications equipment provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.29. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 398.16%. The company had revenue of $2.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th were given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 690 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.11, for a total value of $257,445.90. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,037,488.51. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Motorola Solutions news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 2,615 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.68, for a total transaction of $927,488.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $403,625.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 690 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.11, for a total transaction of $257,445.90. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,141 shares in the company, valued at $3,037,488.51. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,389 shares of company stock worth $3,446,461 in the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.