MSI vs. NTAP: Motorola vs. NetApp Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP) 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

Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP) both fall under the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group, but MSI is classified in Communications Equipment while NTAP is classified in Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals.

Company profile comparison for Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP)
Profile Item	MSI	NTAP
Name	Motorola Solutions, Inc.	NetApp, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Technology Hardware & Equipment	Technology Hardware & Equipment
GICS Industry	Communications Equipment	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
Market Capitalization	85.07 billion USD	33.23 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	November 21, 1995
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MSI

NTAP

GSPC

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP), 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 Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP)
Metric	MSI	NTAP
Total Return (1Y)	35.63%	59.65%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	20.55%	35.23%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.37%	16.66%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MSI

NTAP

GSPC

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP), 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 Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP)
Metric	MSI	NTAP
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.11%	48.37%
Beta (5Y)	0.84	1.55
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-27.23%	-42.61%
Avg. Volume (3M)	973.41K	2.39M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MSI and NTAP 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 Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP)
Metric	MSI	NTAP
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.25	1.14
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.90	1.84

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Motorola (MSI) at 76.98% and NetApp (NTAP) at 114.82% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

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%

NTAP

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

114.82%

NTAP: 114.82%
Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP): A comparison of their ROE against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Motorola (MSI) at 16.54% and NetApp (NTAP) at 19.19% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

NTAP

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

19.19%

Max: 27.60%
NTAP: 19.19%
Q3: 11.66%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Motorola (MSI) at 24.62% and NetApp (NTAP) at 26.67% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

NTAP

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

26.67%

Max: 36.27%
NTAP: 26.67%
Q3: 18.36%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP)
Metric	MSI	NTAP
ROE (TTM)	76.98%	114.82%
ROA (TTM)	9.64%	11.66%
Net Margin (TTM)	16.54%	19.19%
Operating Margin (TTM)	24.62%	26.67%
Gross Margin (TTM)	51.75%	70.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Motorola (MSI) at 8.00% and NetApp (NTAP) at 5.37% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Motorola (MSI) at 38.14% and NetApp (NTAP) at 11.99% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP)
Metric	MSI	NTAP
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.00%	5.37%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.63%	2.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)	38.14%	11.99%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	17.15%	3.13%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Motorola (MSI) at 1.10 and NetApp (NTAP) at 1.24 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

NTAP

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.24

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
NTAP: 1.24
Min: 0.17

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but MSI is more stretched: NetApp (NTAP) at 1.69 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Motorola (MSI) at 3.46 is above its industry benchmark range.

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

NTAP

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.69

Max: 1.76
NTAP: 1.69
Q3: 0.78
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP)
Metric	MSI	NTAP
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.10	1.24
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	3.46	1.69
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.70	-0.50

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Motorola (MSI) at 0.94% and NetApp (NTAP) at 1.23% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

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%

NTAP

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.23%

NTAP: 1.23%
Max: 0.73%
Q3: 0.31%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both pay out more than their industries’ typical bands, and MSI more so: NetApp (NTAP) at 29.34% sits above the band, while Motorola (MSI) at 38.94% exceeds every peer in its group.

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%

NTAP

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

29.34%

Max: 32.27%
NTAP: 29.34%
Q3: 14.48%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP)
Metric	MSI	NTAP
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.94%	1.23%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	38.94%	29.34%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

NetApp (NTAP) at 23.86 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.

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

NTAP

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

23.86

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
NTAP: 23.86
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

NetApp (NTAP) at 4.50 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.

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

NTAP

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

4.50

Max: 11.30
Q3: 5.82
NTAP: 4.50
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Motorola (MSI) at 27.75 and NetApp (NTAP) at 22.18 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

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

NTAP

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

22.18

NTAP: 22.18
Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

Motorola (MSI) vs. NetApp (NTAP): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Motorola (MSI) and NetApp (NTAP)
Metric	MSI	NTAP
P/E Ratio (TTM)	41.39	23.86
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.75	4.50
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	27.75	22.18
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.24%	3.52%