BDF Gestion Purchases New Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

BDF Gestion acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 19,110 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $7,377,000. Motorola Solutions comprises 0.7% of BDF Gestion’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSI. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Motorola Solutions by 78.7% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 84 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its position in Motorola Solutions by 206.9% in the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 89 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MSI. Bank of America lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Motorola Solutions from $372.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $437.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,079,557.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 690 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,037,488.51. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,949 shares of company stock worth $12,002,807. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

NYSE MSI traded down $1.18 on Friday, reaching $411.00. 340,433 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 667,557. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $269.64 and a 12 month high of $413.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.16. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $387.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $358.15. The company has a market cap of $68.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.94.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.23. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 378.15% and a net margin of 14.04%. The firm had revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.41 earnings per share. Motorola Solutions’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 14th. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 48.45%.

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.