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FFIV vs. MSI: F5 vs. Motorola Stock Comparison

How do F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI) are both classified in the Communications Equipment sub-industry within the broader Communications Equipment industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI)
Profile ItemFFIVMSI
NameF5, Inc.Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupTechnology Hardware & EquipmentTechnology Hardware & Equipment
GICS IndustryCommunications EquipmentCommunications Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustryCommunications EquipmentCommunications Equipment
Market Capitalization17.66 billion USD85.07 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJune 4, 1999January 2, 1962
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FFIV
MSI
GSPC
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI)
MetricFFIVMSI
Total Return (1Y)30.07%35.63%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)27.03%20.55%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)7.22%17.37%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FFIV
MSI
GSPC
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI)
MetricFFIVMSI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)40.81%25.11%
Beta (5Y)1.090.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)-47.42%-27.23%
Avg. Volume (3M)692.80K973.41K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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FFIV and MSI are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI)
MetricFFIVMSI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.631.25
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.841.90

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Motorola (MSI) at 76.98% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than F5 (FFIV) at 19.01%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

19.01%

Max
42.47%
Q3
19.13%
FFIV
19.01%
Median
11.00%
Q1
1.63%
Min
-20.62%

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

76.98%

MSI
76.98%
Max
42.47%
Q3
19.13%
Median
11.00%
Q1
1.63%
Min
-20.62%
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their ROE against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both F5 (FFIV) at 21.14% and Motorola (MSI) at 16.54% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

21.14%

Max
27.60%
FFIV
21.14%
Q3
11.66%
Median
4.08%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-11.02%

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

16.54%

Max
27.60%
MSI
16.54%
Q3
11.66%
Median
4.08%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-11.02%
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both F5 (FFIV) at 23.99% and Motorola (MSI) at 24.62% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

23.99%

Max
36.27%
FFIV
23.99%
Q3
18.36%
Median
8.84%
Q1
1.46%
Min
-21.39%

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

24.62%

Max
36.27%
MSI
24.62%
Q3
18.36%
Median
8.84%
Q1
1.46%
Min
-21.39%
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI)
MetricFFIVMSI
ROE (TTM)19.01%76.98%
ROA (TTM)7.74%9.64%
Net Margin (TTM)21.14%16.54%
Operating Margin (TTM)23.99%24.62%
Gross Margin (TTM)81.98%51.75%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Motorola (MSI) reports revenue growth of 8.00%, ranked against its industry; F5 (FFIV) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both F5 (FFIV) at 6.10% and Motorola (MSI) at 38.14% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI)
MetricFFIVMSI
Revenue Growth (YoY)--8.00%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)--8.63%
EPS Growth (YoY)6.10%38.14%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)24.10%17.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

F5 (FFIV) at 1.73 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Motorola (MSI) at 1.10 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for MSI.

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.73

Max
5.34
Q3
3.02
Median
1.95
FFIV
1.73
Q1
1.32
Min
0.17

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.10

Max
5.34
Q3
3.02
Median
1.95
Q1
1.32
MSI
1.10
Min
0.17
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

F5 (FFIV) at 0.05 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Motorola (MSI) at 3.46 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.05

Max
1.76
Q3
0.78
Median
0.24
FFIV
0.05
Q1
0.04
Min
0.01

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

3.46

MSI
3.46
Max
1.76
Q3
0.78
Median
0.24
Q1
0.04
Min
0.01
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI)
MetricFFIVMSI
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.731.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.053.46
Net Debt / EBITDA-1.492.70

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Motorola (MSI) reports a yield of 0.94%, ranking against industry peers normally.

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
0.73%
Q3
0.31%
FFIV
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.94%

MSI
0.94%
Max
0.73%
Q3
0.31%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Motorola (MSI) reports a payout of 38.94%, ranking against industry peers normally.

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
32.27%
Q3
14.48%
FFIV
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

38.94%

MSI
38.94%
Max
32.27%
Q3
14.48%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI)
MetricFFIVMSI
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.94%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%38.94%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) at 24.83 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Motorola (MSI) at 41.39 sits in the richer quartile — MSI needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

24.83

Max
69.48
Q3
41.02
Median
26.39
FFIV
24.83
Q1
19.36
Min
6.07

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

41.39

Max
69.48
MSI
41.39
Q3
41.02
Median
26.39
Q1
19.36
Min
6.07
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) at 5.17 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Motorola (MSI) at 6.75 sits in the pricier quartile — MSI costs more per dollar of sales.

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

5.17

Max
11.30
Q3
5.82
FFIV
5.17
Median
2.56
Q1
1.05
Min
0.00

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

6.75

Max
11.30
MSI
6.75
Q3
5.82
Median
2.56
Q1
1.05
Min
0.00
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

F5 (FFIV) at 4.41 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Motorola (MSI) at 27.75 prices above its benchmark range — MSI looks rich relative to book.

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

4.41

Max
10.75
Q3
5.52
FFIV
4.41
Median
3.17
Q1
1.79
Min
0.33

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

27.75

MSI
27.75
Max
10.75
Q3
5.52
Median
3.17
Q1
1.79
Min
0.33
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F5 (FFIV) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for F5 (FFIV) and Motorola (MSI)
MetricFFIVMSI
P/E Ratio (TTM)24.8341.39
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.176.75
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.4127.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.63%2.24%