Pacer Advisors Inc. Reduces Position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Pacer Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,688 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,059 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $8,373,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSI. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 24,237 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $7,589,000 after purchasing an additional 3,278 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,894 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $10,925,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 29.8% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 20,036 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,273,000 after purchasing an additional 4,594 shares during the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $247,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 44,303 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $13,871,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Motorola Solutions

In other Motorola Solutions news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total value of $9,773,887.50. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Shares of MSI opened at $447.09 on Tuesday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $269.64 and a fifty-two week high of $448.98. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $419.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $382.25. The company has a market cap of $74.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.26, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.03.

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

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $460.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $466.17.

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.