Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. MSI scored 60.9, BDC scored 67.5 — BDC leads.
Compare another set
MSI
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Communication Equipment · Quality-Growth
60.9
$444.18 · $73.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
6.6
BDC leads
BDC
Belden Inc.
Communication Equipment · Quality-Growth
67.5
$109.15 · $4.3B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestBDC17.7x
Fastest growthBDC+10.3%
Strongest balance sheetBDC0.97
Highest qualityMSI83 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
MSI
stronger →← stronger
BDC
83
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
65
76
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
75
36
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
63
MSI is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
MSI
BDC
$2.7bB
FCF
$212mC
+10.3%B
Rev
+10.3%B
3.58D
D/E
0.97C
35.0xB
P/E
17.7xA-
1.97C+
PEG
1.05B+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
MSI
BDC
48% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
29% above
~17%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~14%/yr
-37%
1-yr DCF upside
-29%
-32%
5-yr DCF upside
-23%
-25%
10-yr DCF upside
-13%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
MSI
Why this score
Raising its dividend
Durable high returns
BDC
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
MSIMotorola Solutions, Inc.
Communication Equipment · $444.18 · beta 0.89
Why now
Communication Equipment · market cap $73.5b. 10% off the 52-week high of $494.85. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 11 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $526.91 (implying +19% upside).
Moat
Net margin 17% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 80% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 125% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
D/E 3.58 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Trailing P/E 35x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
BDCBelden Inc.
Communication Equipment · $109.15 · beta 1.13
Why now
Communication Equipment · market cap $4.3b. Down 32% from 52-week high of $159.99 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 5 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $153.20 (implying +40% upside).
Moat
ROE 19% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
Down 32% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where MSI and BDC diverge
On the headline score the gap is 6.6 points in favor of BDC. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueMSI 36.0 · BDC 63.2BDC +27.2
QualityMSI 82.8 · BDC 64.7MSI +18.1
GrowthMSI 75.9 · BDC 75.3level
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is BDC or MSI the better stock?
BDC scores higher: BDC 67.5, MSI 60.9 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do BDC and MSI differ most?
The widest gap is value, where BDC leads by 27 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are BDC and MSI scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.