Could You Have Held Motorola Solutions Stock Through Its Falls?
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Over the past ten years, Motorola Solutions (MSI) turned a $10,000 investment into about $64,900 before dividends. That same $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 became about $35,800. Holding those shares looks easy in hindsight. The real question is not whether you should have bought the stock, but whether you could have held it. So how many times do you think the stock fell 20% or more along the way?
How Often Did Motorola Solutions Stock Fall?
Motorola Solutions stock fell 20% or more three times over those ten years, dropping past 30% in one instance. The table below places these declines beside the S&P 500 over the same dates.
| High | Low | Motorola Solutions stock | S&P 500, same dates | Back above the old high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2020 | Mar 2020 | -33.1% | -33.9% | Mar 2021 |
| Dec 2021 | Jun 2022 | -27.8% | -23.5% | Mar 2023 |
| Nov 2024 | Dec 2025 | -27.9% | 13.4% | Not as of Oct 2026 |
Falls of 20% or more from a closing high, Oct 2016 to Oct 2026. Split-adjusted closing prices, dividends excluded.
The deepest drop came in early 2020, when the stock fell 33.1% from February to March. The S&P 500 fell 33.9% over those exact weeks, so Motorola Solutions went down with the broader market. Shareholders then waited until March 2021, about a year after the low, for the stock to close back above its prior high.
What Was It Like To Hold Motorola Solutions Through A Fall?
The latest decline began in November 2024. The stock slid for 13 months, bottoming out in December 2025 with a 27.9% loss. The S&P 500 rose 13.4% over that identical stretch, leaving shareholders to watch the market climb while their stock continued to sink.
Nearly two years after that November 2024 high, the stock has still not closed above it. The 2020 and 2022 falls each ended within about a year of the low. Nobody holding shares through the middle of this latest drop knew whether it would end the same way.
Was Something Wrong With Motorola Solutions’ Business?
Operating through two segments, Products and Systems Integration, and Software and Services, Motorola Solutions sells public safety equipment and software. This lineup includes P25 devices and infrastructure, alongside body-worn camera and in-car video solutions.
The business did slip around the time of the 2020 fall. In the 2022 fall, twelve-month revenue rose 2.0% from the high to the low, while the operating margin eased from 21.2% to 20.1%. Revenue for 2020 came in 6.0% below the prior year. The operating margin also eased, falling from 20.7% to 19.1%.
The latest decline was different. Between the November 2024 high and the December 2025 low, twelve-month revenue rose 6.2%, and the operating margin held at about 25%. The business held up on those two measures: the stock fell without shrinking sales or a weaker margin.
What Selling Motorola Solutions Stock Would Have Cost
Since touching its March 2020 low, Motorola Solutions stock is up 283.6%. A shareholder who sold at that bottom missed all of that rise. Today, the stock sits 5.3% below its November 2024 high.
The 2020 and 2022 falls were not a flaw in the stock. They were part of what its ten-year gain cost, and holders who sat through them collected it. The latest fall has not ended yet. The next time Motorola Solutions stock falls hard, its revenue over the last twelve months is worth a look, but it is no forecast. Sales fell 6.0% in 2020 and the stock was still back above its old high by March 2021, while the latest fall came as sales rose. While the latest drop occurred even as sales rose, 2020 serves as a reminder that resilient fundamentals can help the stock eventually recover its previous highs.
Does This Mean You Should Act On MSI?
Our purpose is to inform you with unique data so you make the right investment decisions. That said, betting on a single stock is always risky, no matter which direction you choose.
There is a smarter approach. Since its inception, the Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio has returned 105%, beating the benchmark that combines the three major indices – the S&P 500, S&P Mid-cap, and Russell 2000. And it did so without taking the concentrated risk that comes with do-it-yourself stock picking. If that is how you want to invest, the HQ Portfolio is the place to start.
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