Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Free Report) had its price target upped by Morgan Stanley from $430.00 to $495.00 in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the communications equipment provider's stock.

MSI has been the subject of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $467.00 to $529.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $460.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $504.88.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MSI traded down $5.80 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $461.46. 1,544,405 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 697,335. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $479.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $434.94. Motorola Solutions has a 52-week low of $307.09 and a 52-week high of $507.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.12 billion, a PE ratio of 50.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.99.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.10 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.76 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 251.96% and a net margin of 14.65%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions will post 12.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $1.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. This is a boost from Motorola Solutions's previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. Motorola Solutions's payout ratio is presently 47.75%.

Institutional Trading of Motorola Solutions

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MSI. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,454,643 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $3,358,848,000 after acquiring an additional 198,183 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 89,320 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,530,660 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $590,911,000 after purchasing an additional 110,072 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 59,189.5% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 967,604 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $435,064,000 after purchasing an additional 965,972 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 942,529 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $363,863,000 after buying an additional 33,643 shares during the period. 84.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.