Motorola Solutions, Inc. to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.98 (NYSE:MSI)

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, August 27th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of 0.98 per share by the communications equipment provider on Tuesday, October 15th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th.

Motorola Solutions has increased its dividend payment by an average of 11.2% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 12 consecutive years. Motorola Solutions has a dividend payout ratio of 27.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Motorola Solutions to earn $13.09 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.92 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 29.9%.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of Motorola Solutions stock traded up $2.13 on Tuesday, reaching $432.36. 530,348 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 662,969. Motorola Solutions has a twelve month low of $269.64 and a twelve month high of $433.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.18, a PEG ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $399.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $366.62.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its earnings results 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 378.15% and a net margin of 14.04%. The company had revenue of $2.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.41 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions will post 12.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In related news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,079,557.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Motorola Solutions news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 690 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.11, for a total transaction of $257,445.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,037,488.51. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total transaction of $9,773,887.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,821 shares in the company, valued at $19,079,557.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 29,949 shares of company stock worth $12,002,807. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of 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 increased their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $372.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $437.40.

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.