Advisors Capital Management LLC Buys New Shares in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Advisors Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,220 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,027,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 5,403.9% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,720 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $16,061,000 after acquiring an additional 35,071 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 470,878 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $217,654,000 after buying an additional 87,722 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions during the third quarter valued at $33,423,000. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,404 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $1,573,000 after acquiring an additional 712 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $24,136,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Shares of MSI stock traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $420.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 651,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 779,554. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.28. The firm's 50-day moving average is $425.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $456.37. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $332.98 and a 1-year high of $507.82. The company has a market cap of $70.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.62, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.94.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.58% and a return on equity of 197.59%. On average, research analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $1.09 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. Motorola Solutions's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on MSI. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays cut their target price on Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $570.00 to $515.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Motorola Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $515.25.

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.