Key Points
- CEO Gregory Brown sold 50,000 shares on Feb. 24 at an average of $468.09 for about $23.4M, reducing his direct stake to 47,167 shares — roughly a 51.5% cut that could pressure sentiment.
- Motorola beat quarterly estimates, reporting $4.59 EPS vs. $4.35 expected and $3.38B in revenue (up 12.3% YoY), and announced a $1.21 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.84, ~1.0% yield) payable April 15.
- Analysts remain largely positive, with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of about $497.14 after multiple firms raised targets.
Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) CEO Gregory Brown sold 52 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $464.28, for a total value of $24,142.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 14,343 shares in the company, valued at $6,659,168.04. This represents a 0.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.
Motorola Solutions Stock Up 2.0%
Shares of MSI traded up $9.42 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $481.37. The company had a trading volume of 1,461,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,175,529. The stock has a market cap of $79.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.72, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.00. The company's 50 day moving average price is $411.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $422.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $359.36 and a 52 week high of $492.22.
Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The communications equipment provider reported $4.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.34 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 110.75% and a net margin of 18.44%.Motorola Solutions's revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.04 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 EPS for the current year.
Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $4.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Motorola Solutions's dividend payout ratio is 37.93%.
Trending Headlines about Motorola Solutions
Here are the key news stories impacting Motorola Solutions this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend announced: Motorola declared a $1.21 quarterly dividend (record March 20; pay April 15), implying a ~1.0% yield. Small recurring cash return and signal of capital-return policy stability.
- Negative Sentiment: Large CEO insider selling — Gregory Q. Brown: recent SEC filings show multiple sizable sales, including 50,000 shares (~$23.4M, Feb. 24) and additional blocks on Feb. 25–26 (see filings). These trades reduced his holdings materially and may weigh on sentiment given the scale. CEO 50,000-share sale filing CEO additional sale filing CEO sales filing
- Negative Sentiment: Other insider sales: CEO Cynthia Yazdi sold 7,000 shares (~$3.3M) and director Kenneth D. Denman sold 434 shares (~$204k) in late-February filings — further insider supply hitting the market. Cynthia Yazdi filing Kenneth Denman filing
- Negative Sentiment: Press coverage flagged the CEO's sales (summary article). Media attention on large insider disposal can amplify negative investor reaction even if sales are for diversification or liquidity. Insider selling article
Institutional Trading of Motorola Solutions
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. United Community Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 81.3% during the third quarter. United Community Bank now owns 58 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
MSI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Argus upgraded shares of Motorola Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $499.00 target price (up from $443.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $506.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $497.14.
Read Our Latest Research Report on MSI
About Motorola Solutions
(
Get Free Report)
Motorola Solutions, Inc is a provider of mission-critical communications and analytics solutions for public safety and commercial customers. The company designs, manufactures and supports a range of communications equipment and software aimed at enabling first responders, government agencies and enterprises to coordinate and operate reliably in high-pressure environments. Its offerings emphasize secure, resilient connectivity and situational awareness for organizations that require dependable voice, data and video communications.
Product lines include land mobile radio (LMR) systems and handheld and vehicle-mounted radios used by police, fire and emergency medical services; broadband push-to-talk and LTE-based solutions; command-and-control center software for incident management and records; and video security and analytics systems.
Further Reading
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