Motorola’s dividend masks your risk

Article Excerpt

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS INC., $167, is a hold. The company (New York symbol MSI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 171.3 million; Market cap: $28.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.7; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.motorolasolutions.com) makes communications equipment such as radios for police and fire vehicles. With the January 2020 payment, Motorola will lift its quarterly dividend by 12.3%. Investors will then receive $0.64 a share instead of $0.57. The new annual rate of $2.56 yields 1.5%. The company expects to earn between $7.77 and $7.82 a share for all of 2019. The stock has jumped 33% for investors in the past year, but that means it now trades at a somewhat high 21.4 times the midpoint of that range. When you consider Motorola’s reliance on acquisitions and on winning new government contracts, the stock is currently pricey. pricey…