Stevens Capital Management LP Decreases Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Stevens Capital Management LP cut its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 49.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,521 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,481 shares during the period. Stevens Capital Management LP’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSI. Northwest Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Motorola Solutions by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 96 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. lifted its position in Motorola Solutions by 73.2% during the 4th quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. now owns 123 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on MSI. Barclays boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $333.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI began coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research report on Monday, March 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.38.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

MSI stock traded up $3.79 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $348.91. 926,159 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 635,292. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $340.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $321.33. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $269.64 and a one year high of $355.39. The company has a market cap of $57.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.27. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 441.65% and a net margin of 17.12%. The business had revenue of $2.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.38 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is 39.48%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total value of $1,585,919.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,961,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.