Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Stock Price Down 4.6% Following Weak Earnings

Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) traded down 4.6% during trading on Friday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The company traded as low as $444.37 and last traded at $444.57. 371,848 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 48% from the average session volume of 710,746 shares. The stock had previously closed at $466.05.

The communications equipment provider reported $3.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.85 by ($0.10). Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 251.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MSI shares. StockNews.com downgraded Motorola Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $425.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $505.88.

Institutional Trading of Motorola Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Soros Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 38.9% during the fourth quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC now owns 2,164 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co lifted its position in Motorola Solutions by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 1,341 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $620,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its position in Motorola Solutions by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 146,166 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $67,562,000 after purchasing an additional 22,591 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in Motorola Solutions by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 95,509 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $44,151,000 after purchasing an additional 5,399 shares during the period. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in Motorola Solutions by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 4,166 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,925,000 after purchasing an additional 741 shares during the period. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

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 stock has a market capitalization of $74.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.02. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $468.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $458.26.

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.