Raymond James & Associates Cuts Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Raymond James & Associates decreased its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,278,531 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 41,100 shares during the quarter. Motorola Solutions comprises about 0.6% of Raymond James & Associates’ portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Raymond James & Associates owned approximately 1.37% of Motorola Solutions worth $1,024,496,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 71.8% in the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 67 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 871.4% during the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 68 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of MSI traded down $2.42 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $475.20. The stock had a trading volume of 651,118 shares, compared to its average volume of 664,815. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $442.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $396.66. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $271.73 and a fifty-two week high of $480.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.74, a PEG ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.20.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.23. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.04% and a return on equity of 337.36%. The business had revenue of $2.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.41 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.22 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 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 owns 46,821 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,079,557.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Motorola Solutions 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.