Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $505.88.

Several research firms recently weighed in on MSI. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th.

Motorola Solutions Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:MSI opened at $413.42 on Friday. Motorola Solutions has a one year low of $332.98 and a one year high of $507.82. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $451.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $460.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.84, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 197.59% and a net margin of 14.58%. As a group, analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions will post 13.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSI. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Motorola Solutions by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,179,834 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $9,789,955,000 after acquiring an additional 310,919 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,454,643 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,358,848,000 after purchasing an additional 198,183 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Motorola Solutions by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,187,217 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,933,360,000 after purchasing an additional 451,172 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $1,528,949,000. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in Motorola Solutions by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,030,915 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,400,980,000 after purchasing an additional 334,639 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

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.