Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Cuts Holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lowered its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 65.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 56,943 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 106,751 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $21,983,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors grew 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 worth $3,812,424,000 after buying an additional 44,279 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in Motorola Solutions by 3.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in Motorola Solutions by 36.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its position in Motorola Solutions by 215.7% during the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,023,956 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $395,298,000 after buying an additional 699,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in Motorola Solutions by 0.5% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 993,689 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $383,614,000 after buying an additional 4,984 shares in 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 Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total transaction 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 $19,079,557.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSI opened at $442.57 on Friday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $269.64 and a 12-month high of $448.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.03. The company has a market cap of $73.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s fifty day moving average is $418.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $381.15.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.24 EPS 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 business posted $2.41 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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