Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI) Stock Price & How to Invest
Last updated July 2026
Short answer
You can invest in Motorola Solutions (MSI) by buying shares or fractional shares at any major broker, through an ETF that holds it (such as ITA or XLK), or as one holding in a thematic basket. MSI is a high-quality, recurring-revenue compounder rather than a hyper-growth name: it dominates land mobile radio for police, fire, and EMS, then layers faster-growing, higher-margin command-center software and video (Avigilon, Pelco, WatchGuard) on top, competing with Axon in public-safety video. Durable public-sector demand and a steady dividend drive it.
MSI stock price
As of 2026-07-23, Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI) last closed at $405.13, down 4.0% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $363.83 and $490.30.
Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or Motorola Solutions, Inc.'s investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.
What does Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI) do?
Motorola Solutions provides communications and software products to public safety and enterprise customers. The company's core business is land mobile radio (LMR) systems used by police, fire, and emergency medical services worldwide; Motorola Solutions has dominant share in this market. The company has expanded over the past decade through acquisitions into adjacent areas: command center software, video surveillance and analytics (Avigilon, Pelco, IPVideo, Openpath), and license plate recognition (Vigilant, Watchguard).
Video and command-center software businesses now grow faster than the legacy LMR hardware and carry higher margins. Founded in 2011 as a separation from Motorola Inc. (which split into Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions). Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Greg Brown has been CEO since the separation.
What's driving Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI)?
1. Public safety video and software.
Body-worn cameras, in-car video, fixed surveillance, license plate recognition, and command center software for police and fire departments. These categories are growing structurally and Motorola has been the most aggressive consolidator.
2. LMR hardware durability.
Land mobile radio systems are critical infrastructure for public safety. Customers replace systems every 7-15 years and there is no realistic alternative to the dominant suppliers. Recurring service revenue is meaningful.
3. AI in policing.
Video analytics, license plate recognition, and command-center AI are becoming central to public safety operations. Regulatory and ethical debates limit some applications, but adoption continues.
4. Acquisition-driven growth.
Motorola Solutions has been one of the most active acquirers in public safety technology, building a comprehensive stack. The strategy depends on continued availability of attractive acquisition targets and integration execution.
What are the risks to Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI)?
Public sector budget cycles can affect short-term revenue. Regulatory debates around law enforcement technology (facial recognition, predictive policing) can constrain product roadmaps.
How is Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI) valued? (approximate, early 2026)
A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Motorola Solutions, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker.
- Revenue (TTM): ~$11 billion
- Operating margin: ~25%
- Net income (TTM): ~$2 billion
- EPS (TTM): ~$11.50
- P/E (TTM): ~35x
- Price to sales: ~6x
- Dividend yield: ~1.0%, with steady growth
- Free cash flow: ~$2 billion annually
- Recurring revenue: Growing as a share of mix
Motorola Solutions trades at a premium to the S&P 500 average, reflecting the high recurring revenue, dominant LMR position, and consistent execution. Public safety end markets are durable across economic cycles.
What themes does Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI) fit?
These are the investment theses MSI naturally fits into. Each links to a full theme guide listing every other stock that belongs and the ETFs commonly used as a passive proxy.
Who competes with Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI)?
Land mobile radio (LMR)
Motorola Solutions is the dominant global supplier. Hytera is a Chinese competitor that has had ongoing legal issues with Motorola over alleged IP theft. JVCKenwood and a few others are smaller competitors.
Public safety video
Axon Enterprise (AXON) is the primary competitor in body-worn cameras and in-car video for law enforcement. Verkada is an enterprise-focused competitor. Hikvision and Dahua are Chinese surveillance companies, though both have been increasingly restricted from US government and enterprise markets.
Command center software
Tyler Technologies competes in public sector software (broader than just public safety). Various smaller specialty competitors in computer-aided dispatch, records management, and analytics.
What stocks are similar to Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI)?
Other names that show up alongside MSI in the same themes. Worth a look if you're thinking about diversification within a single thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.
Also fits Defense and modernization. One of the largest software vendors to the US DoD and intelligence community; durable government revenue base.
Also fits Defense and modernization. Body cameras, TASERs, and digital evidence platform serving law enforcement and emerging private security.
Also fits Defense and modernization. Beryllium-based alloys and specialty materials for defense and aerospace applications; one of few qualified Western suppliers.
Also fits Defense and modernization. Wireless and video technology research used in defense communications and standards.
How to invest in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI)
There are three common ways to get MSI exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic basket, so MSI sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.
Walnut takes the basket route. Describe a thesis where MSI fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.
New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.
The bottom line on Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI)
Motorola Solutions (MSI) is a moaty public-safety franchise that pairs sticky LMR hardware with growing software and video, backed by a steadily rising dividend. In a portfolio it behaves as a defensive, dividend-growth compounder insulated from economic cycles, the lower-volatility complement to higher-growth defense names like Axon or Palantir rather than a speculative position.
More on Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI)
Whether MSI is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is MSI a buy?, and where the stock could go from here in the MSI stock forecast.
For income investors, whether MSI pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does MSI pay a dividend? And to weigh MSI against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: MSI vs PLTR and MSI vs AXON.
Build a basket around MSI with Walnut
Use Motorola Solutions, Inc. as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.
FAQ
What is Motorola Solutions' ticker symbol?
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MSI, listed on NYSE. Officially Motorola Solutions, Inc. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Note: Motorola Solutions is the public safety and enterprise business; Motorola Mobility (consumer phones) was sold to Lenovo in 2014 and is a separate entity.
Who are Motorola Solutions' competitors?
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In LMR: Hytera, JVCKenwood. In public safety video: Axon Enterprise (AXON), Verkada. In command-center software: Tyler Technologies and various specialty competitors. Motorola Solutions has the most integrated stack across all of these categories.
Is Motorola Solutions a good dividend stock?
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Yes. The dividend yields approximately 1.0% as of early 2026 with consistent growth over the past decade. Free cash flow generation supports the dividend through cycles, and public safety end markets are unusually durable.
What is Motorola Solutions' P/E ratio?
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Approximately 35x trailing twelve months as of early 2026. Premium to the S&P 500 average (~22x) reflecting the dominant LMR position, growing software and video businesses, and consistent execution. The premium has held across multiple business cycles.
What does Motorola Solutions do?
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Motorola Solutions provides communications and software products to public safety and enterprise customers. Core business is land mobile radio (LMR) systems for police, fire, and emergency medical services. Adjacent businesses include command center software, video surveillance and analytics, and license plate recognition.
Who owns the most Motorola Solutions stock?
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Major institutional holders include Vanguard (~10%), BlackRock (~8%), and State Street (~4%). Insider ownership is relatively low. The company was spun off from the historical Motorola Inc. in 2011 and is broadly institutionally owned.
Is Motorola Solutions a defense stock?
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Partially yes. While most revenue comes from public safety (police, fire, EMS), Motorola Solutions also serves defense and federal government customers with mission-critical communications. The defense exposure is meaningful but not the largest segment; public safety is dominant. Walnut groups MSI under the Defense and Modernization theme because public safety and defense customers buy through similar procurement channels.
Which ETFs have the most Motorola Solutions exposure?
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ITA (iShares US Aerospace & Defense) holds MSI at smaller weight as a defense-adjacent name. VGT and XLK include MSI as part of the broader tech sector. VOO and SPY hold MSI at modest weight. The unusual category positioning (communications equipment but with public safety focus) means MSI doesn't dominate any single thematic ETF.
Which thematic baskets typically include Motorola Solutions?
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One theme on Walnut: Defense and modernization (public safety communications, video, and command-center software for police, fire, and emergency services). MSI is often included as a recurring-revenue dividend complement to higher-growth defense exposures like PLTR or AXON.
Is Motorola Solutions in the S&P 500?
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Yes. MSI has been an S&P 500 constituent for many years. It is typically a top-100 S&P 500 holding by market cap, supported by consistent earnings and the durable public safety franchise.
What is Motorola Solutions' market cap?
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Approximately $80 billion as of early 2026. Market cap has grown steadily as the company has expanded from LMR-only into video and software adjacencies. MSI is among the larger US communications equipment companies by market cap.
How does MSI compare to Axon?
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Both serve law enforcement and public safety. MSI is concentrated in land mobile radio (LMR) systems used by police, fire, and EMS; Axon (AXON) is concentrated in body cameras, TASERs, and digital evidence software. They compete on body cameras (MSI acquired WatchGuard and others), but the broader product mixes are different. MSI is more dividend-focused and lower-growth; Axon is higher-growth and software-tilted.
Is the LMR market growing?
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Slowly but durably. LMR replacement cycles are 7-15 years; growth comes from product upgrades, software attach, and new geographic markets. The bigger growth driver is the adjacent video and command-center software where MSI has been the most aggressive consolidator. The combination of stable LMR plus growing software is the central thesis.
Should I own MSI directly or through ITA?
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Different exposures. Direct MSI gives concentrated public safety communications exposure plus dividend. ITA includes MSI at small weight along with major defense primes (RTX, LMT, BA). Many Walnut users hold MSI as a separate position from ITA because the public safety thesis is different from the defense prime thesis.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with Motorola Solutions, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.