Evercore ISI Raises Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Price Target to $500.00

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) had its price target increased by Evercore ISI from $450.00 to $500.00 in a research note released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the communications equipment provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on MSI. Bank of America upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $370.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $436.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $385.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $372.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $457.40.

Motorola Solutions Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MSI opened at $442.04 on Friday. Motorola Solutions has a 1 year low of $269.64 and a 1 year high of $443.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.73 billion, a PE ratio of 54.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.03, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $403.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $369.84.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The communications equipment provider reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.23. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 337.36% and a net margin of 14.04%. The business had revenue of $2.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Motorola Solutions will post 12.22 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Motorola Solutions news, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total value of $9,773,887.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 46,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,079,557.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 690 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.11, for a total transaction of $257,445.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,037,488.51. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO John P. Molloy sold 23,985 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.50, for a total value of $9,773,887.50. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,079,557.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 29,949 shares of company stock valued at $12,002,807 over the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Motorola Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its position in Motorola Solutions by 71.8% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 67 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC increased its position in Motorola Solutions by 871.4% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 68 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

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.