Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Raises Stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 383,048 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,250 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $177,056,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions during the third quarter valued at $29,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Down 3.1 %

Shares of Motorola Solutions stock opened at $426.78 on Tuesday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $329.66 and a twelve month high of $507.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The company’s 50 day moving average is $458.52 and its 200 day moving average is $460.98. The company has a market cap of $71.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.02.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.85 by ($0.10). Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.58% and a return on equity of 197.59%. The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $425.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $505.88.

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.