Norges Bank Invests $1.07 Billion in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Norges Bank bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 2,322,750 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,073,645,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions in the third quarter worth about $29,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on MSI. Barclays cut their target price on Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $505.88.

Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Shares of MSI stock opened at $432.71 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.93, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $444.11 and its 200-day moving average is $459.34. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 1 year low of $332.98 and a 1 year high of $507.82.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.85 by ($0.10). Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.58% and a return on equity of 197.59%. The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend 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.