Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Reduces Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management decreased its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,487 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 181 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $1,092,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MSI. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in Motorola Solutions by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 18,864 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,136,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 1.5% during the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 15,442 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $4,204,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 1,386 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $377,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 32,984 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $8,980,000 after acquiring an additional 2,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisor Partners II LLC lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 10,019 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,728,000 after purchasing an additional 1,586 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 8,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,961,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Shares of Motorola Solutions stock traded up $2.91 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $361.08. 148,619 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 662,154. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.16. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $269.64 and a fifty-two week high of $361.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.22 billion, a PE ratio of 44.25, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a 50-day moving average of $344.39 and a 200 day moving average of $325.32.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 398.16%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.38 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $362.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, March 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $400.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $355.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $357.43.

Motorola Solutions 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.