Sapient Capital LLC Makes New $6.70 Million Investment in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 21,316 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,695,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 1.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,350,325 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $639,853,000 after acquiring an additional 37,718 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,155,597 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $674,896,000 after buying an additional 96,421 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,006,858 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $546,347,000 after buying an additional 8,514 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 1.5% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,841,890 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $501,436,000 after buying an additional 27,874 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 2.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,605,900 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $437,190,000 after acquiring an additional 36,061 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Trading Up 5.2 %

Shares of MSI stock traded up $17.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $353.70. 1,151,473 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 724,940. The stock has a market cap of $58.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.72, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $342.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $323.39. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $269.64 and a fifty-two week high of $356.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.27. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 408.01%. The company had revenue of $2.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.38 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total transaction of $1,585,919.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,961,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $350.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, March 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $400.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $351.50.

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.