Motorola hits a new high

Article Excerpt

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS INC. $357 is a buy. The company (New York symbol MSI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 166.8 million; Market cap: $59.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.0; Dividend yield: 1.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.motorolasolutions.com) reported 10.0% higher revenue in the first quarter of 2024—$2.39 billion from $2.17 billion a year earlier. That’s due to higher demand for its radio and video systems, as well as its software products. Earnings before one-time items also gained 26.6%, to $2.81 a share from $2.22. The company ended the quarter with a record backlog of $14.4 billion, which is equal to 1.4 times its annual revenue. For all of 2024, Motorola expects to earn between $12.98 and $13.08 a share, up from its prior forecast of $12.62 to $12.72 a share. The stock, which recently hit a new all-time high of $372, trades at 27.4 times the midpoint of that new range. That’s a reasonable multiple in light of Motorola’s high research spending—9% of revenue…