Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Shares Sold by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 11.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 436,107 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 56,704 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 0.26% of Motorola Solutions worth $154,809,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MSI. Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,055,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 23,933 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,496,000 after acquiring an additional 2,585 shares in the last quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,624,000. Cynosure Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $329,000. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $639,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MSI shares. Bank of America upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Barclays upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $362.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday, March 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $400.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $374.57.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSI traded up $0.59 on Tuesday, hitting $396.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 444,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 656,355. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $269.64 and a 12 month high of $399.62. The company has a market capitalization of $66.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $379.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $351.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.16, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.19.

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

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.45%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 690 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.11, for a total value of $257,445.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,141 shares in the company, valued at $3,037,488.51. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, SVP James A. Niewiara sold 810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.09, for a total transaction of $290,052.90. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,650,156.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 690 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.11, for a total value of $257,445.90. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,037,488.51. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,389 shares of company stock worth $3,446,461 over the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.