Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 12.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 472,415 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,255 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.28% of Motorola Solutions worth $138,533,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 11.6% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,918 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $949,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 3.1% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 11,087 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,685,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 8.8% in the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 2,870 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the first quarter worth $225,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 7.3% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 55,177 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $13,362,000 after acquiring an additional 3,741 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 5,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $1,790,100.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,780 shares in the company, valued at $1,156,680. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Motorola Solutions news, CFO Jason J. Winkler sold 5,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.29, for a total transaction of $1,726,720.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,732 shares in the company, valued at $2,055,212.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 5,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $1,790,100.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,780 shares in the company, valued at $1,156,680. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 76,506 shares of company stock worth $23,359,370. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE MSI opened at $319.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $53.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.51. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $287.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $286.38. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $251.00 and a twelve month high of $320.13.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The communications equipment provider reported $3.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.03 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 668.00% and a net margin of 17.30%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.79 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 10.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 12th. Investors of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This is an increase from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 35.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $320.00 to $311.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. StockNews.com lowered Motorola Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 11th. Bank of America began coverage on Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $330.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Motorola Solutions from $329.00 to $322.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $312.57.

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.