Allstate Corp Invests $1.97 Million in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Allstate Corp purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,265 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,971,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 5,403.9% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,720 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $16,061,000 after purchasing an additional 35,071 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 8.6% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 587,077 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $263,967,000 after buying an additional 46,731 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 470,878 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $217,654,000 after buying an additional 87,722 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the third quarter valued at $33,423,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,404 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,573,000 after acquiring an additional 712 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on MSI shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays decreased their target price on Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $505.88.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MSI opened at $433.38 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $72.35 billion, a PE ratio of 47.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $443.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $459.45. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $332.98 and a 1 year high of $507.82.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.85 by ($0.10). Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 197.59% and a net margin of 14.58%. The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 47.29%.

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.