Jefferies Financial Group Boosts Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Price Target to $510.00

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) had its price target lifted by Jefferies Financial Group from $460.00 to $510.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the communications equipment provider’s stock.

MSI has been the topic of several other research reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $372.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $466.17.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Motorola Solutions stock opened at $437.31 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.94 billion, a PE ratio of 54.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.94. Motorola Solutions has a one year low of $269.64 and a one year high of $448.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $407.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $372.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.20.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.59 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.04% and a return on equity of 337.36%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.41 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Motorola Solutions will post 12.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 48.45%.

Insider Transactions at Motorola Solutions

In related news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 46,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,079,557.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Motorola Solutions news, SVP Rajan Naik sold 5,274 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.81, for a total value of $1,971,473.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,939 shares in the company, valued at $3,341,487.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total transaction of $9,773,887.50. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 46,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,079,557.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSI. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,197 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in Motorola Solutions by 280.0% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 551 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $172,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Motorola Solutions by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 1,712 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $536,000 after acquiring an additional 411 shares during the period. Gallacher Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter worth $252,000. Finally, Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at $214,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.