Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 646 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lessened its position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 103,894 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 646 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $48,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MSI. Raymond James increased their price target on Motorola Solutions from $425.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $467.00 to $529.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $430.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $504.88.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

MSI opened at $479.40 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $80.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.02. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $470.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $456.45. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $314.84 and a 52-week high of $507.82.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.76 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 251.96%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $1.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This is a positive change from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.75%.

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.