Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 2,335 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. trimmed its position in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,765 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,335 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $23,926,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MSI. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

MSI opened at $479.40 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $470.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $456.45. The firm has a market cap of $80.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.51, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.02. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $314.84 and a 1 year high of $507.82.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 251.96%. As a group, analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 12.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. This is an increase from Motorola Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is 47.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MSI. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $430.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays upped their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $467.00 to $529.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Raymond James upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $425.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $504.88.

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.