Updating Motorola Solutions, C.R. Bard and Kraft Foods

Article Excerpt

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS INC. $47 (www.motorolasolutions.com) is buying U.K.-based Psion plc, which specializes in handheld computers and other mobile devices that are used in harsh environments. The $200 million price is equal to 1.3 times the $159 million, or $0.50 a share, that Motorola Solutions earned in the first quarter of 2012. Psion should immediately add to its earnings when the deal closes later this year. Buy. C.R. BARD INC. $104 (www.crbard.com) has raised its quarterly dividend by 5.3%, to $0.20 a share from $0.19. The new annual rate of $0.80 yields 0.8%. The medical device maker also plans to buy back $500 million of its shares. If you include $88 million remaining on Bard’s current repurchase authorization, the total of $588 million is equal to 7% of its $8.7-billion market cap. Buy. KRAFT FOODS INC. $37 (www.kraft.com) now trades on Nasdaq under the “KFT” symbol. The move will substantially cut the company’s annual listing fees. Best Buy. Buy…