Vest Financial LLC Boosts Holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Vest Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,252 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 454 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $1,041,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSI. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Motorola Solutions by 5,403.9% in the third 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 period. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $449,000. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake 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 valued at $263,967,000 after buying an additional 46,731 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 8.5% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 409,421 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $184,088,000 after acquiring an additional 32,157 shares during the period. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions in the third quarter worth $33,423,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MSI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $467.00 to $529.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Raymond James raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $425.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $430.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $504.88.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE MSI opened at $479.40 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $314.84 and a fifty-two week high of $507.82. The business has a fifty day moving average of $470.40 and a 200-day moving average of $456.45. The stock has a market cap of $80.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.02.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.36. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 251.96%. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.76 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $1.09 dividend. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This is a positive change from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 47.75%.

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.