MSI vs. WDC: Motorola vs. Western Digital Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Western Digital (WDC) carries a highly aggressive beta of 2.35, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Motorola (MSI) is closer to market-like at 0.84 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both Motorola (MSI) at 76.98% and Western Digital (WDC) at 129.60% 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.

Western Digital (WDC) at 69.20% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Motorola (MSI) at 16.54% also retains a top-quartile share.

Western Digital (WDC) at 47.68% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Motorola (MSI) at 24.62% also operates in the top quartile.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Western Digital (WDC) at 35.70% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Motorola (MSI) at 8.00% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for WDC.

Western Digital (WDC) at 372.38% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Motorola (MSI) at 38.14%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Western Digital (WDC) at 1.43 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.

Western Digital (WDC) at 0.10 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.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Western Digital (WDC) at 0.21% pays an industry-typical yield; Motorola (MSI) at 0.94% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

Western Digital (WDC) at 1.93% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Motorola (MSI) at 38.94% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Western Digital (WDC) at 9.28 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Motorola (MSI) at 41.39 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

Both Motorola (MSI) at 6.75 and Western Digital (WDC) at 6.82 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

Both look rich against book: Western Digital (WDC) at 10.55 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Motorola (MSI) at 27.75 prices even higher, above its industry range.

Valuation Metrics