Howe & Rusling Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Howe & Rusling Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,002 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 92 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $925,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on MSI. Barclays reduced their price target on Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $505.88.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

MSI stock opened at $431.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $72.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $444.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $459.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $332.98 and a 12-month high of $507.82.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its earnings results 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). 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current 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 issued a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.29%.

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.