Clearbridge Investments LLC Acquires 10,979 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 2.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 447,086 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,979 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 0.27% of Motorola Solutions worth $172,597,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Century Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 23.4% in the 2nd quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,223 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $472,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 2nd quarter valued at about $244,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 13.7% during the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,402 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,704,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in Motorola Solutions by 177.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 169 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during 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 news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total value of $9,773,887.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,821 shares in the company, valued at $19,079,557.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $372.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $466.17.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

MSI opened at $449.08 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $74.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.51, a PEG ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $426.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $386.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.03. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $269.64 and a 52-week high of $452.00.

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

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

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.