Nemes Rush Group LLC, an institutional investor, increased its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, as reported in the company's latest 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. After acquiring an additional 901 shares, the group now owns a total of 51,613 shares, representing about 2.9% of its investment portfolio. This makes Motorola Solutions the 6th largest position in Nemes Rush Group LLC's holdings. As of the end of the quarter, these shares were valued at approximately $23.86 million.
Several other hedge funds have also adjusted their positions in Motorola Solutions. Notably, Synergy Asset Management LLC initiated a new position worth around $25,000, while Crews Bank & Trust also purchased shares valued at $26,000 during the same period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a position worth $29,000 in the third quarter, and First Command Advisory Services Inc. made a similar purchase of $29,000 in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought shares valued at $30,000. Institutional investors now own 84.17% of the company’s stock.
Analysts have been busy revising their targets for Motorola Solutions. StockNews.com raised its rating for the company from "hold" to "buy" on February 18th. Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley increased its price target from $495.00 to $505.00 and maintained an "equal weight" rating. On the other hand, Barclays slightly lowered its target from $529.00 to $527.00 but kept an "overweight" rating. A consensus of analysts has given Motorola Solutions a "Moderate Buy" rating, with a target price of $505.88.
Motorola Solutions' stock opened at $438.07 on the day following the analysts’ upgrades. The company has experienced fluctuations over the past year, with a 12-month low of $332.98 and a high of $507.82. It boasts a market capitalization of $73.13 billion, a PE ratio of 47.51, and a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82. Additionally, the company has a 50-day moving average of $442.93 and a 200-day moving average of $459.61.
Despite reporting earnings of $3.75 per share for the fourth quarter, which fell short of analysts’ expectations by $0.10, Motorola Solutions exceeded revenue forecasts, bringing in $3.01 billion, just above the expected $3 billion. The company maintained a strong net margin of 14.58% and an impressive return on equity of 197.59%. Looking forward, analysts predict Motorola Solutions will post $13.55 per share in earnings for the current year.
In other news, Motorola Solutions recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.09 per share, which will be paid on April 15th. Investors who were on record as of March 14th will receive the dividend, equating to an annualized payout of $4.36 and a yield of 1.00%. The company's current dividend payout ratio stands at 47.29%.
Motorola Solutions continues to strengthen its position in the public safety and enterprise security sectors. The company operates in key markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Its operations are split into two main segments: Products and Systems Integration, which provides infrastructure, devices, and security solutions, and Software and Services, which focuses on integrating systems, devices, software, and applications for various government, commercial, and public safety clients managing communication networks and security solutions.