Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Upgraded by Northcoast Research to Buy Rating

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) was upgraded by equities researchers at Northcoast Research from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday. The firm currently has a $450.00 target price on the communications equipment provider’s stock. Northcoast Research’s price target indicates a potential upside of 21.73% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays decreased their price target on Motorola Solutions from $509.00 to $495.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $500.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $490.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $465.00 price target (down from $495.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Monday, November 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $495.00.

Motorola Solutions Stock Up 0.0%

Motorola Solutions stock opened at $369.68 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.86, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.73. Motorola Solutions has a 52-week low of $365.40 and a 52-week high of $503.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $421.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $432.06. The firm has a market cap of $61.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.76, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.96.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The communications equipment provider reported $4.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.21. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 19.08% and a return on equity of 134.30%. The company had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.74 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Motorola Solutions will post 13.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Motorola Solutions

In related news, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.50, for a total transaction of $24,175,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 46,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,693,556. This represents a 51.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Rajan Naik sold 8,014 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $474.45, for a total transaction of $3,802,242.30. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,244 shares in the company, valued at $4,860,265.80. This represents a 43.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 85,614 shares of company stock valued at $41,278,417 over the last ninety days. 1.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $872,307,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the first quarter worth $650,426,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the second quarter worth $230,743,000. Capital World Investors boosted its position in Motorola Solutions by 5.5% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,386,519 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $4,292,310,000 after purchasing an additional 490,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Motorola Solutions by 116.5% in the 3rd quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 841,463 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $384,793,000 after purchasing an additional 452,822 shares during the period. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Motorola Solutions Company Profile

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.