Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MSI) has earned a "Moderate Buy" consensus from analysts covering the company, according to Marketbeat Ratings. Among the ten research firms monitoring the stock, three analysts issued a "hold" rating, while seven issued a "buy" rating. The average 12-month target price for the company is $495.00, based on updates from analysts within the past year.
Several analysts have recently weighed in on Motorola Solutions. Barclays lowered its price target from $509.00 to $495.00 while maintaining an “overweight” rating in an October 31st report. On December 1st, Northcoast Research upgraded the stock from “neutral” to “buy,” with a new price target of $450.00. Piper Sandler reaffirmed its “neutral” rating but reduced its target to $465.00 from $495.00, also on October 31st. Weiss Ratings maintained a "buy (B-)" rating in a report published December 1st. Meanwhile, Evercore ISI raised its price target from $500.00 to $525.00 and reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on August 29th.
On Monday, NYSE MSI opened at $374.23. The company’s market capitalization stands at $62.33 billion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.03. Motorola Solutions also reported a 12-month low of $365.40 and a 12-month high of $495.00. The 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages are $413.10 and $430.28, respectively.
In the most recent quarterly earnings, released on October 31st, Motorola Solutions exceeded analyst expectations. The company reported $4.06 in earnings per share (EPS), surpassing the consensus estimate of $3.85 by $0.21. Their net margin stood at 18.71%, with a return on equity of 118.48%. Quarterly revenue came in at $3.01 billion, surpassing the $2.99 billion estimate. This was a 7.8% increase compared to the same period last year. Analysts expect the company to report EPS of 13.55 for the current year.
The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.21 per share, payable on January 15th. Shareholders who are on record by December 15th will receive this dividend, representing an annualized payout of $4.84 and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is set for December 15th. Notably, this is a significant increase from the previous dividend of $0.01 per share. Motorola Solutions’ payout ratio currently stands at 34.99%.
In recent insider transactions, SVP James A. Niewiara sold 1,700 shares on September 11th at an average price of $485.43, totaling $825,231.00. After this sale, Niewiara owned 14,542 shares, valued at approximately $7.06 million. Additionally, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares on September 12th at $483.50 each, totaling $24.18 million. Brown’s stake in the company decreased by 51.58% following the sale. Over the past three months, insiders have sold a total of 76,700 shares worth $37.05 million, representing 1.44% of the company's stock.
In terms of institutional investment, several large investors have recently adjusted their holdings. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC, Orion Capital Management LLC, and United Community Bank have all recently increased their positions. As of now, institutional investors hold 84.17% of the stock.
Motorola Solutions provides essential public safety and enterprise security solutions across the U.S., U.K., Canada, and internationally. It operates in two key segments: Products and Systems Integration, and Software and Services. The Products and Systems Integration segment includes a broad portfolio of infrastructure, devices, and video security systems, alongside services like system integration, software applications, and mobile workforce management for public safety and commercial customers.