Motorola break-up: one buy, one sell

Article Excerpt

On January 4, 2011, shareholders of the old Motorola Inc. received one share of Motorola Mobility for every eight Motorola shares they own. Following the distribution, the old Motorola changed its name to Motorola Solutions. It also consolidated its shares on a 1-for-7 basis, as many pension plans and institutional investors avoid stocks that trade below a certain price. Breakups like this help unlock hidden value, and generally lead to above-average results over time. We initially saw both stocks as buys, but we now prefer Motorola Solutions to Motorola Mobility. MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS INC. $46 (New York symbol MSI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 339.5 million; Market cap: $15.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.motorolasolutions.com) makes specialized equipment, such as bar-code scanners, and radios for police and fire vehicles. Sales to governments account for two-thirds of Motorola Solutions’ revenue, which cuts its risk. Even with budgetary pressures, demand for this equipment should remain steady. As…