Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes $1.53 Billion Position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,307,765 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,528,949,000. Motorola Solutions comprises 0.6% of Raymond James Financial Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MSI. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 4,447.9% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 584,901 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $262,989,000 after purchasing an additional 572,040 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 56,562.5% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 315,610 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $145,884,000 after purchasing an additional 315,053 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 2.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,454,643 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,358,848,000 after purchasing an additional 198,183 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 29.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 723,835 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $325,455,000 after buying an additional 165,353 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 44.5% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 406,910 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $182,959,000 after buying an additional 125,351 shares during the period. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $425.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $505.88.

Motorola Solutions Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of MSI opened at $426.42 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $71.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $456.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $460.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12 month low of $329.70 and a 12 month high of $507.82.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.85 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 197.59% and a net margin of 14.58%. Equities analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. 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.