Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Takes Position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,537 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $481,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Greenleaf Trust grew its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,297 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,658,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Motorola Solutions by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,889 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $591,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 6,017 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,884,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 9,504 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,417 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 270.0% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 88,869 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $27,824,000 after purchasing an additional 64,850 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Friday, January 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Motorola Solutions in a research note on Monday, March 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $348.38.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MSI traded up $0.19 during trading on Friday, hitting $339.65. 1,392,899 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 626,022. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.20, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s fifty day moving average is $339.17 and its 200-day moving average is $319.50. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $269.64 and a one year high of $355.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.37.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.27. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 441.65% and a net margin of 17.12%. The business had revenue of $2.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.38 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 11.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Motorola Solutions news, SVP Cynthia Yazdi sold 4,744 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total value of $1,585,919.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,961,229.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.