Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investor’s point of view. We also respect individual opinions––they represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.

CHICAGO -- Motorola Solutions said Tuesday that no major changes are planned for personnel or projects after its acquisition of IPVideo, the Bay Shore, N.Y.-based creator of the HALO Smart Sensor and other fire and life safety products. 

The IPVideo business and sales teams will join Motorola Solutions' Enterprise Sales organization under John Kedzierski, Senior Vice President of the group.

IPVideo had just announced in November it was bringing in a new national sales manager, Frank Polidoro, and tech integration partner manager, Holley Hunt. Kedzierski said the company can't comment on the employment of specific employees. "However we can confirm IPVideo employees are joining Motorola Solutions and we are not planning on making any immediate changes," he said. 

The acquisition, announced Monday, "reinforces Motorola Solutions’ commitment to improving safety and security by offering end-to-end solutions with unique workflows," he said. 

"IPVideo adds the HALO sensor that is easy to deploy and operate for enterprises of all sizes. Motorola Solutions and IPVideo will continue to deliver security solutions that help create safer schools, safer hospitals, safer hotels and safer businesses."

There was some market specualtion that the HALO and SentryERS products were most highly sought after by Motorola. "We see both HALO and SentryERS as an opportunity to introduce additional detection solutions that help our customers protect people, property and places," Kedzierski said.

When asked if Motorola will continue evaluating similar acquisitions in 2024, he said, "As we build our business, we evaluate potential acquisitions based on strategic fit and synergies, risk and valuation. We are disciplined and rigorous in our valuation models and only invest in companies that have exceptional vision, people and technologies that align with our purpose."

The HALO Smart Sensor is a multifunctional safety and security device with built-in vape detection and air quality monitoring, gunshot detection, abnormal noise and motion detection and emergency keyword detection.

In areas where cameras and video security solutions are not suitable, such as restrooms, classrooms, hospital rooms and hotel rooms, the HALO Smart Sensor can Excellerate situational awareness and extend the perimeter of security while protecting privacy.

If the $300 off holiday deals on Motorola’s latest razr+ smartphone weren’t enticing enough, now you can get an extra $50 credit thrown in to start off 2024. There’s also a New Year’s sale on Google Nest Cams, as well as a price cut on Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook complete with a detachable keyboard at $279. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

Motorola’s razr+ now $300 off with bonus $50 credit

Amazon is now offering the Motorola razr+ folding smartphone for $699.99 shipped. This is the lowest price we have seen for the new handset, but gets even better thanks to an included $50 Amazon credit. This matches a Best Buy offer we saw a month ago through the early part of the holidays, adding a little extra value to complement the $300 discount from its usual $1,000 price tag. The bonus credit will automatically be added to your purchase. Our hands-on review breaks down what to expect from the new smartphone, but our first impressions couldn’t be better on the latest from Motorola.

Motorola just launched its latest smart flip phone earlier in the summer, giving its classic razr some new life with all of the frills of a modern device. The folding experience is centered around a refreshed cover display that shines above all other foldables on the market. It has a 3.6-inch panel that’s backed by a 144Hz refresh rate. It’s large enough that you’ll actually want to use it for more than just a quick glance at notifications and the time, even offering support for a keyboard to pop up to quickly reply to messages.

From there, you’re looking at a folding 6.9-inch FHD+ panel with 165Hz refresh rate on the inner display of the Motorola razr+. A Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip gives you the latest in Android silicon these days, and comes backed by 8GB of RAM with 256GB of storage in tow, too. 

Google’s Nest Cam Outdoor starts 2024 at $130

Amazon now offers the latest Google Nest Cam Outdoor for $130. This is $50 off the usual $180 price tag and marking the second-best discount we’ve seen. It last sold for $10 less over the Thanksgiving Week savings event festivities, and is now down to the lowest price otherwise. Google’s Nest Cam Outdoorfeatures a weather-resistant build that can be mounted outside to survey your property with its 1080p sensor and night vision support. Its internal battery means you don’t have to run any wires, either, while still enjoying the full benefits of an Assistant-enabled camera. Our hands-on review offers some additional details, too.

If the outdoor functionality isn’t a must, going with the standard Google Nest Cam Indoor for $80 might be a better call. Much like you’d gather from its name, the Nest Cam Indoor is meant to be used inside and sports the same 1080p recording functionality as the lead deal with a wired form-factor and more affordable price to match. It’s also now $20 off the usual $100 going rate, too. Get all of the details in our hands-on review.

Save $100 on Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook

Best Buy is now offering the best price yet on the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook. It drops down to$279 shipped from the usual $379 price tag in order to save you $100 on this 2-in-1 Chrome OS machine. This is one of the first discounts overall, and clocks in at an extra $40 below our previous mention from back in October of last year. We explore the whole experience below the fold as well as over in our announcement coverage, too.

Having just hit the scene last summer, the new IdeaPad Duet 3 from Lenovo delivers a 2-in-1 experience centered around an 11-inch touchscreen display. It comes powered by a Snapdragon SC7180 processor and is backed by 10 hours of battery life, a combination that should provide plenty of power for note taking this fall semester while ensuring you can go all day before needing to plug back in.

Fitbit Charge 6 tracks SpO2, heart rate, ECG, sleep, and more

Amazon is now offering the new Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker for $129.95 shipped in all three styles. Each one drops from the usual $160 price tag for one of the first times, landing at the second-best discounts yet with $30 in savings attached. A well-timed discount for lending a helping hand to all of those New Year’s fitness resolutions, we’ve only seen the latest fitness tracker from Fitbit sell for less once before over Black Friday. We offer a closer look at what to expect in our hands-on review over at Connect the Watts.

The new Fitbit Charge 6 just launched last fall as its latest standard fitness tracker. Anyone who doesn’t want a full-blown smartwatch on their wrist can strap up with all the stats and intel provided by the Charge 6. It can monitor everything from the norms of exercise, heart rate, and sleep tracking to more unique things like SpO2, a Daily Readiness Score, skin temperature, and the ECG – all in a package with 7-day battery life and an OLED display.

Samsung will supply you a $50 bonus credit to reserve its new Galaxy S24

Samsung is just under two weeks away from officially taking the wraps off its latest smartphones. The new Galaxy S24 series will officially see the light of day on January 17, and ahead of time Samsung is offering a little extra something for anyone who plans to pre-order those new handsets. Right now, you can reserve one of those upcoming Galaxy S24 smartphones in order to get a $50 credit towards the Samsung storefront. All you have to do is put down your name and email, and you’ll be able to get an extra $50 towards accessorizing your handset when store listings go up later in the month – no cash down until the handsets are officially revealed at Galaxy Unpacked.

We fully break down the promotion right here.

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9to5Google also keeps tabs on all the best trade-in deals on Android smartphones and more every month. Be sure to check out this month’s best trade-in deals when you decide it’s time to upgrade your device, or simply head over to our trade-in partner directly if you want to recycle, trade, or sell your used devices for cash and support 9to5Google along the way!

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There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. And in light of that, the trends we're seeing at Motorola Solutions' (NYSE:MSI) look very promising so lets take a look.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on Motorola Solutions is:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.34 = US$2.4b ÷ (US$12b - US$5.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, Motorola Solutions has an ROCE of 34%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Communications industry average of 8.3%.

Check out our latest analysis for Motorola Solutions

In the above chart we have measured Motorola Solutions' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Motorola Solutions here for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at Motorola Solutions. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 34%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 22%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Motorola Solutions thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

On a separate but related note, it's important to know that Motorola Solutions has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 43%, which we'd consider pretty high. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. Ideally we'd like to see this reduce as that would mean fewer obligations bearing risks.

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In Conclusion...

A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Motorola Solutions has. Since the stock has returned a staggering 191% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.

On a separate note, we've found 2 warning signs for Motorola Solutions you'll probably want to know about.

If you'd like to see other companies earning high returns, check out our free list of companies earning high returns with solid balance sheets here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Motorola has lost its appeal against the competition watchdog’s decision to cap the price it can charge for the radio network used by all of the UK’s emergency services.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) previously said emergency services had no option but to use Motorola’s Airwave Network so the business can charge “prices well above competitive levels”.

Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investor’s point of view. We also respect individual opinions––they represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.