Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC recently increased its stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MSI) by 73.8% in the first quarter, as revealed in its latest Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm now holds 55,772 shares of the communications equipment giant, following the acquisition of 23,690 additional shares during the period. As of the most recent filing, the value of Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC’s holdings stood at $24,418,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also been active in buying and selling shares of Motorola Solutions. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake by 5.4%, now owning 471 shares worth $206,000 after purchasing 24 additional shares. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings by 11.9% in the previous quarter, bringing its total to 235 shares valued at $109,000. Similarly, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings by 22.5%, now owning 136 shares worth $63,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. also raised its stake by 4.3%, with 636 shares valued at $294,000. Lastly, Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its ownership by 2.0%, bringing its total to 1,315 shares valued at $576,000. Currently, 84.17% of Motorola Solutions' stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
In related news, Motorola Solutions' Chief Accounting Officer, Katherine A. Maher, sold 1,073 shares of the company’s stock on May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.68, generating a total of $449,243.64. Post-sale, Maher’s remaining stake in the company is 804 shares, worth approximately $336,618.72. This transaction reflects a 57.17% reduction in her position, as disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Research firms have shown varying views on Motorola Solutions’ stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on the company with a "buy" rating and a target price of $490.00. Barclays lowered its target price from $527.00 to $511.00 while maintaining an "overweight" rating. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating, while Wall Street Zen downgraded Motorola Solutions from a "buy" to a "hold" rating. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced its price target from $570.00 to $515.00, keeping an "overweight" rating. Currently, three analysts have a "hold" rating, while nine have issued a "buy" rating, giving the stock an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $510.67, according to MarketBeat.
On Wednesday, shares of Motorola Solutions rose by $7.44, reaching $416.17, with a trading volume of 973,516 shares, surpassing the average volume of 829,334 shares. The company’s market capitalization stands at $69.47 billion, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 34.74 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 1-year low of $385.17 and a 1-year high of $507.82.
Motorola Solutions reported strong earnings results for the first quarter, posting earnings per share (EPS) of $3.18, beating analysts’ expectations of $3.01 by $0.17. The company reported revenue of $2.53 billion, slightly exceeding the expected $2.52 billion. The company’s return on equity was 160.93%, with a net margin of 18.67%. Year-over-year, revenue increased by 5.8%, compared to $2.81 EPS in the same period last year. Analysts predict that Motorola Solutions will report an EPS of 13.55 for the current fiscal year.
In other news, Motorola Solutions declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on July 15th. Shareholders of record on June 13th received a dividend of $1.09 per share, amounting to an annualized dividend of $4.36, yielding 1.05%. The company’s payout ratio stands at 36.39%.
Motorola Solutions provides critical communications solutions in public safety and enterprise security across multiple regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two key segments: Products and Systems Integration, and Software and Services. The Products and Systems Integration segment offers a broad portfolio of infrastructure, devices, accessories, and video security solutions, along with systems integration for customers in government, public safety, and commercial sectors, managing private communications networks and mobile workforces.