Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) by 4.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 219,717 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,096 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Motorola Solutions worth $98,791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MSI. LRI Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 871.4% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 68 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its position in Motorola Solutions by 71.8% in the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 67 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the third quarter valued at $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Motorola Solutions Stock Up 1.3 %

NYSE:MSI traded up $6.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $469.94. The company had a trading volume of 2,443,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 902,956. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.09 and a 12-month high of $507.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.47, a PEG ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $479.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $436.52.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.36. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 251.96% and a net margin of 14.65%. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.76 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a $1.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This is an increase from Motorola Solutions's previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Motorola Solutions's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James upped their target price 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. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $467.00 to $529.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $460.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $504.88.

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.