Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Short Interest Down 15.9% in June

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,430,000 shares, a drop of 15.9% from the May 31st total of 1,700,000 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 676,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Motorola Solutions Stock Down 0.1 %

MSI stock traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $386.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,737,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 644,296. 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 has a 52-week low of $269.64 and a 52-week high of $391.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.72, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $365.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $342.18.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The communications equipment provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.29. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 398.16%. The company had revenue of $2.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.34 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions will post 12.07 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.45%.

Insider Activity at Motorola Solutions

In other Motorola Solutions news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 2,615 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.68, for a total value of $927,488.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $403,625.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Motorola Solutions news, SVP James A. Niewiara sold 810 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.09, for a total value of $290,052.90. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 12,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,650,156.74. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 2,615 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.68, for a total transaction of $927,488.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $403,625.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,389 shares of company stock valued at $3,446,461. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Motorola Solutions

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 71.4% in the fourth quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 96 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Motco raised its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 137.5% in the fourth quarter. Motco now owns 95 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MSI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 3rd. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, March 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $362.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $400.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. One 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, Motorola Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $358.86.

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.