Motorola posts a strong quarter

Article Excerpt

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS INC. $284 is a buy. The company (New York symbol MSI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 166.9 million; Market cap: $47.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 5.1; Dividend yield: 1.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.motorolasolutions.com) makes communications equipment such as two-way radios for police and fire vehicles, as well as high-definition surveillance systems. It also makes software that helps governments manage their emergency response call centres. Motorola’s revenue in the first quarter of 2023 rose 14.7%, to $2.17 billion from $1.89 billion a year earlier. Earnings in the quarter also jumped 30.6%, to $2.22 a share from $1.70. The company’s backlog at the end of the quarter was $14.1 billion, up 5.2% from a year earlier. That should lift its 2023 earnings by about 9% to $11.25 a share; the stock trades at a reasonable 25.2 times that estimate, and the $3.52 dividend yields 1.2%. Motorola Solutions is a buy. buy…