MSI vs. ZBRA: Motorola vs. Zebra Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Motorola (MSI) and Zebra (ZBRA) 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 Zebra (ZBRA) both fall under the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group, but MSI is classified in Communications Equipment while ZBRA is classified in Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components.

Company profile comparison for Motorola (MSI) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Profile Item	MSI	ZBRA
Name	Motorola Solutions, Inc.	Zebra Technologies Corp. Class A Common Stock
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	Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Electronic Equipment & Instruments
Market Capitalization	85.07 billion USD	15.16 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	August 15, 1991
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MSI

ZBRA

GSPC

Motorola (MSI) vs. Zebra (ZBRA), 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 Zebra (ZBRA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Motorola (MSI) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	MSI	ZBRA
Total Return (1Y)	35.63%	26.64%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	20.55%	17.52%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.37%	-11.21%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MSI

ZBRA

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Motorola (MSI) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	MSI	ZBRA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.11%	47.91%
Beta (5Y)	0.84	1.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-27.23%	-67.78%
Avg. Volume (3M)	973.41K	596.00K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MSI and ZBRA 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 Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	MSI	ZBRA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.25	0.47
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.90	0.82

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Motorola (MSI) at 76.98% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Zebra (ZBRA) at 16.46%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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%

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

16.46%

Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
ZBRA: 16.46%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Motorola (MSI) at 16.54% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Zebra (ZBRA) at 9.80%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

9.80%

Max: 27.60%
Q3: 11.66%
ZBRA: 9.80%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Motorola (MSI) at 24.62% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Zebra (ZBRA) at 14.75%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

14.75%

Max: 36.27%
Q3: 18.36%
ZBRA: 14.75%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Motorola (MSI) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	MSI	ZBRA
ROE (TTM)	76.98%	16.46%
ROA (TTM)	9.64%	7.51%
Net Margin (TTM)	16.54%	9.80%
Operating Margin (TTM)	24.62%	14.75%
Gross Margin (TTM)	51.75%	48.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Motorola (MSI) at 8.00% and Zebra (ZBRA) at 8.33% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Motorola (MSI) at 38.14% and Zebra (ZBRA) at -19.65% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Motorola (MSI) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	MSI	ZBRA
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.00%	8.33%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.63%	-2.27%
EPS Growth (YoY)	38.14%	-19.65%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	17.15%	-2.41%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Motorola (MSI) at 1.10 and Zebra (ZBRA) at 0.57 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

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.57

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
ZBRA: 0.57
Min: 0.17

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Zebra (ZBRA) at 0.78 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.

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

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.78

Max: 1.76
ZBRA: 0.78
Q3: 0.78
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Motorola (MSI) vs. Zebra (ZBRA): 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 Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	MSI	ZBRA
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.10	0.57
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	3.46	0.78
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.70	2.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Zebra (ZBRA) 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.

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%

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 0.73%
Q3: 0.31%
ZBRA: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Zebra (ZBRA) 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.

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%

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 32.27%
Q3: 14.48%
ZBRA: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Motorola (MSI) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	MSI	ZBRA
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.94%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	38.94%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Zebra (ZBRA) at 26.03 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

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

26.03

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
ZBRA: 26.03
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Zebra (ZBRA) at 2.47 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

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

2.47

Max: 11.30
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
ZBRA: 2.47
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Zebra (ZBRA) at 4.26 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.

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

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

4.26

Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
ZBRA: 4.26
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Motorola (MSI) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	MSI	ZBRA
P/E Ratio (TTM)	41.39	26.03
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.75	2.47
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	27.75	4.26
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.24%	4.61%