Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 11.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 202,323 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,300 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.12% of Motorola Solutions worth $93,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,179,834 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $9,789,955,000 after purchasing an additional 310,919 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Motorola Solutions by 2.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,454,643 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $3,358,848,000 after acquiring an additional 198,183 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Motorola Solutions by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,736,045 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,675,588,000 after acquiring an additional 89,320 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,528,949,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,073,645,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $505.88.

Motorola Solutions Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of MSI stock opened at $437.48 on Thursday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $332.98 and a 1-year high of $507.82. The firm has a market cap of $73.03 billion, a PE ratio of 47.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $441.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $459.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

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

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is 47.29%.

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.