Motorola's $1.5 Billion D-Fend Acquisition Reignites Its Direct Competition with Axon Enterprises

On June 1, mission-critical public safety juggernaut Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) acquired counter-drone technology specialist D-Fend Solutions for $1.5 billion. I find that deal interesting for a few reasons. First, D-Fend's operations complement Motorola's expertise with various radio frequency (RF) capabilities, which reside in the company's leading land-mobile radio (LMR) networks and quickly growing mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) unit. D-Fend uses "advanced RF cyber-takeover technology" to safely mitigate unauthorized drone activity at airports, stadiums, military bases, and other critical locations. Said another way, through this acquisition of a company with complementary technology, Motorola should be able to expand its leadership in the public safety niche.

Second, the D-Fend purchase further pits Motorola and Axon Enterprise (NASDAQ: AXON) against each other as direct competitors in the public safety industry. However, even though the companies are going head-to-head in public safety, I don't think investors necessarily need to try to pick a "winner" between the two.

Image source: Getty Images.

Where Motorola and Axon are similar...

In 2024, Axon acquired an up-and-coming drone company of its own, Dedrone, for roughly $400 million, and has since built out drone-as-a-first-responder (DFR) programs while also offering systems to mitigate unauthorized drones, much like D-Fend. While Axon and Motorola are far from the only drone specialists, their connections to public safety, defense, and enterprise customers make their integrated drone capabilities a must-have solution in many cases.

In addition to their somewhat overlapping drone operations, Axon and Motorola are the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the police body camera, automated license plate reading, and in-car camera niches. Because the companies each install their integrated hardware and software ecosystems for their government and public safety customers, they benefit from high switching costs. That gives both businesses robust moats.

Meanwhile, the two have leading positions in the 911 and command center niche. Motorola has stated that over 60% of the United States' 911 centers use at least one of its software solutions; Axon also has a burgeoning dispatch and command center business, though it doesn't match Motorola's scale. These command centers tie together DFR programs, police body cams, license plate readers, and everything else for each company, creating ecosystems customers are unlikely to want to step away from once they have fully integrated them into their operations.

... and where they're different

The biggest differentiator for Axon is its long-standing Taser business: According to management, its newest TASER 10 units are used once every 30 seconds across the U.S. While Tasers aren't the growth story for Axon anymore, the Tasers themselves still need to be replaced every several years, and new cartridge orders mean that segment of the business operates on a steady razor-and-blades model. Furthermore, Axon is likely leading the field in incorporating AI into its operations. AI helps power Draft One (its audio-to-report transcription software), parse and redact information from records, and streamline numerous time-consuming processes across the law-enforcement and judicial systems.

Meanwhile, Motorola's biggest differentiator from Axon is its leadership position in mission-critical communications with its redundant LMR networks and its MANET offerings. When disasters like hurricanes knock out standard cell service, Motorola's 13,000-plus LMR networks worldwide step in to provide critical emergency communication services. The contracts for these services run for several years -- if not decades -- and are often essential for the organizations that purchase them, so they're an undeniably steady source of income for Motorola. Additionally, the company's leading-edge, self-healing MANET systems are quickly becoming a must-have for defense and unmanned systems customers.

Lastly, Motorola also has more than 5 million fixed cameras installed worldwide and uses AI to discern potentially suspicious activity across the vast volume of video they record for its enterprise customers.

Which stock is the better buy?

At the end of the day, I really believe both stocks are well positioned to beat the market over the next decade. However, Axon is the "swing for the fences" investment of the two, offering multibagger growth-stock potential. In contrast, Motorola is more of a steady-Eddie compounder that could quietly exceed the market's average returns.

Motorola trades at 24 times forward earnings, grew its sales by 7% in the latest quarter, and has raised its dividend for 14 years straight, making it an excellent choice for dividend growth investors. Meanwhile, Axon trades at a lofty 62 times forward earnings, but just delivered 34% sales growth and should become markedly more profitable as it matures.

Axon is already a core portfolio position for me -- and I will probably keep adding to it over time, especially amid its current 45% pullback from its 52-week high. However, I'll also be looking to start a position in Motorola Solutions in the wake of its slight pullback, as I believe the two companies look poised to become dominant forces in the public safety niche. Both are great options, so choose whichever stock fits your risk appetite best -- or perhaps, like me, you could choose both.

Josh Kohn-Lindquist has positions in Axon Enterprise. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Axon Enterprise. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.