Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,650 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,173 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $16,943,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSI. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $1,528,949,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,073,645,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 330.1% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 631,551 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $291,922,000 after acquiring an additional 484,727 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,187,217 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,933,360,000 after buying an additional 451,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 209.3% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 559,306 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $258,528,000 after acquiring an additional 378,462 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $515.25.

Motorola Solutions Trading Down 7.4 %

MSI opened at $406.73 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $423.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $454.07. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $345.27 and a 52 week high of $507.82. The firm has a market cap of $67.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.17. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 197.59% and a net margin of 14.58%. The company had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.81 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $1.09 dividend. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.29%.

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.