Morse Asset Management Inc Makes New Investment in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 915 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $325,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MSI. Brookstone Capital Management bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter worth about $234,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 24,325 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $7,616,000 after buying an additional 10,329 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $416,000. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $382,000. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 3,159 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $989,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the period. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Motorola Solutions stock traded up $8.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $393.71. 408,125 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 595,419. The firm has a market cap of $65.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.67, a PEG ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $380.87 and a 200 day moving average of $353.40. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $269.64 and a 12 month high of $399.62.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The communications equipment provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $2.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.34 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 398.16% and a net margin of 13.64%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MSI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $400.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $362.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. 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, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $374.57.

Insider Transactions at Motorola Solutions

In other news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 2,615 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.68, for a total transaction of $927,488.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,138 shares in the company, valued at $403,625.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 2,615 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.68, for a total value of $927,488.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,138 shares in the company, valued at $403,625.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Rajan Naik sold 5,274 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.81, for a total value of $1,971,473.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,341,487.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,389 shares of company stock worth $3,446,461 over the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.