Whittier Trust Co. Grows Position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,476 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,485 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $30,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSI. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 5,403.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 35,071 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment raised its position in Motorola Solutions by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 587,077 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $263,967,000 after purchasing an additional 46,731 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 22.9% in the 4th 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 bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,423,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,404 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,573,000 after buying an additional 712 shares during the period. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on MSI shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of 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 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $505.88.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Shares of MSI opened at $423.82 on Thursday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $332.98 and a fifty-two week high of $507.82. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $447.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $459.90. The stock has a market cap of $70.75 billion, a PE ratio of 45.97, 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.

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

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $1.09 dividend. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.