MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, INC. vs Nokia Corporation, two Communication Equipment stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Motorola Solutions earns 11% on assets selling public-safety radios and software; Nokia earns 1.8% selling carrier network gear, and the six-fold gap is what niche pricing power against procurement-driven customers looks like. Motorola's 81.6% return on equity needs its footnote, 3.5 turns of debt against buyback-thinned equity, but the operating margin, 19.3% against 4.5%, needs none. The multiples split the difference oddly: Nokia at 99.7 times depressed earnings, Motorola at 32.5 times healthy ones, recovery priced at triple the rate of reliability. Free-cash yields are near-tied, 3.7% and 3.2%. The cheaper multiple owns the moat; the dearer one owns the hope.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | MSI | NOK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $402.96 | $13.00 |
| Market cap | $67.7B | $70.4B |
| Sector | Communication Equipment | Communication Equipment |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +20.5% | — |
| P/E | 32.5 | 99.7 |
| P/B | 26.41 | 3.08 |
| P/S | 5.70 | 3.26 |
| EV/EBITDA | 22.2 | 29.6 |
| Revenue growth | +8.2% | -2.4% |
| Gross margin | 50.2% | 43.5% |
| Operating margin | 19.3% | 4.5% |
| Net margin | 17.6% | 3.3% |
| Return on equity | 81.5% | 3.1% |
| Return on assets | 10.9% | 1.8% |
| Return on invested capital | 21.2% | 2.9% |
| FCF yield | 3.7% | 3.2% |
| Dividend yield | 1.1% | — |
| Debt / equity | 3.50 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.07 | 1.58 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 6.93 | 3.21 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 4 / 9 | 5 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.