Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Sets New 52-Week High at $449.22

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $449.22 and last traded at $448.83, with a volume of 207296 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $447.11.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $460.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Barclays increased their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $372.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $466.17.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $74.90 billion, a PE ratio of 55.26, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $419.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $382.25. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.23. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 337.36% and a net margin of 14.04%. The company had revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.41 earnings per share. Motorola Solutions’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 48.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Motorola Solutions news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total value 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 $19,079,557.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MSI. Capital World Investors raised its stake in Motorola Solutions by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,176,768 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,812,424,000 after purchasing an additional 44,279 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in Motorola Solutions by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,319,631 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $895,494,000 after purchasing an additional 82,044 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Motorola Solutions by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,530,660 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $590,911,000 after purchasing an additional 110,072 shares during the period. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in Motorola Solutions by 36.5% during the 1st quarter. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd now owns 1,478,757 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $524,929,000 after purchasing an additional 395,096 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB raised its stake in Motorola Solutions by 215.7% during the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,023,956 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $395,298,000 after purchasing an additional 699,615 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

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.