Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Acquires 1,250 Shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 383,048 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,250 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned 0.23% of Motorola Solutions worth $177,056,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the company’s stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE:MSI opened at $426.78 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $458.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $460.98. The stock has a market cap of $71.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.02. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $329.66 and a twelve month high of $507.82.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The communications equipment provider reported $3.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by ($0.10). Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.58% and a return on equity of 197.59%. The company had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $1.09 dividend. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Motorola Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on MSI. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Motorola Solutions from $529.00 to $527.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $440.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $425.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $505.88.

About Motorola Solutions

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.