Capital Fund Management S.A. recently reduced its stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MSI) by 8.3% during the second quarter, as reported in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. After selling 4,579 shares, the institutional investor now owns 50,852 shares of the company, valued at $21,381,000 by the end of the quarter.
Other major institutional investors have also adjusted their positions in Motorola Solutions. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake by 1.8%, owning 21,885,593 shares worth $9.2 billion, after purchasing an additional 384,479 shares. Similarly, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings by 1.2%, now owning 4,386,899 shares, valued at $1.84 billion. Raymond James Financial Inc. and Alliancebernstein L.P. also made notable adjustments to their positions, with increases of 2.0% and 1.6%, respectively, in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. also increased its holdings by 2.6%, bringing its total shares to 2,043,914.
Together, institutional investors and hedge funds hold 84.17% of Motorola Solutions' stock.
In a related update, SVP Rajan Naik sold 8,014 shares of Motorola Solutions on September 3rd, at an average price of $474.45, amounting to a total transaction of $3.8 million. Following the sale, Naik retained 10,244 shares worth approximately $4.86 million, marking a 43.89% decrease in his ownership. Similarly, SVP James A. Niewiara sold 1,700 shares on September 11th, at an average price of $485.43, totaling $825,231. After this transaction, Niewiara holds 14,542 shares valued at about $7.06 million, reflecting a 10.47% reduction in ownership.
In the last three months, insiders sold 85,614 shares, valued at $41.3 million. Corporate insiders now own only 1.44% of the stock.
Analysts continue to watch Motorola Solutions closely. UBS Group recently raised its price target on the stock from $490.00 to $510.00, maintaining a "buy" rating. Other analysts have adjusted their targets as well, with Barclays setting a new target of $495.00 and Evercore ISI raising it to $525.00. Piper Sandler maintained a "neutral" rating with a price target of $465.00, down from $495.00.
Motorola Solutions’ stock opened at $369.68 and has shown resilience with a market capitalization of $61.57 billion. The company’s P/E ratio stands at 29.76, and its revenue for the most recent quarter reached $3.01 billion, surpassing analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $4.06, exceeding the consensus estimate of $3.85. This marks a 7.8% increase in year-over-year revenue and strong net margins of 19.08%. Analysts forecast an EPS of $13.55 for the current year.
In addition to its strong earnings, Motorola Solutions announced a dividend increase. The quarterly dividend of $1.21 per share will be paid on January 15th, 2025, representing an annualized dividend of $4.84, yielding 1.3%. This is an increase from the previous $0.01 quarterly dividend.
Motorola Solutions continues to lead the market in providing public safety and enterprise security solutions globally, including the U.S., U.K., and Canada. The company operates in two segments: Products and Systems Integration, and Software and Services. Its products include infrastructure, devices, and video security solutions, designed for government, public safety, and commercial customers.