Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Trims Holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,933 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 484 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $4,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,504 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,924,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares in the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at about $205,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 144.0% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 71,530 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $32,163,000 after purchasing an additional 42,212 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 5,900 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,659,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneAscent Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $275,000. Institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Shares of MSI stock opened at $423.82 on Thursday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $332.98 and a fifty-two week high of $507.82. 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 has a market capitalization of $70.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.97, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $447.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $459.90.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 197.59% and a net margin of 14.58%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $1.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com raised Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $505.88.

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.