Hancock Whitney Corp Increases Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Hancock Whitney Corp raised its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,786 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $2,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Merriman Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions in the second quarter valued at $215,000. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its position in Motorola Solutions by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 62,771 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $24,233,000 after purchasing an additional 1,999 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 68,760 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,545,000 after buying an additional 7,481 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 32.9% during the second quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 358,011 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $138,210,000 after buying an additional 88,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the second quarter worth approximately $346,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE MSI opened at $442.57 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $418.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $381.15. The company has a market capitalization of $73.82 billion, a PE ratio of 54.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.97. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $269.64 and a 1 year high of $448.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.03, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.59 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 337.36% and a net margin of 14.04%. The business’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 48.45%.

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In other Motorola Solutions news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total transaction of $9,773,887.50. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,079,557.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $372.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $460.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $466.17.

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.