Looking beyond the AI hype? Nvidia bull loves this ‘under-the-radar’ tech stock
Artificial intelligence has been the subject of many recent conversations about investing in tech, with Nvidia, Alphabet and Microsoft grabbing headlines. For investors looking to diversify their holdings , one stock has been “[flying] under the radar,” according to Trent Masters, portfolio manager at Alphinity Investment Management. Masters named telecommunications company Motorola Solutions , a company he says is “a very beautiful, solid, public safety-focused business.” “It is one that flies under the radar, but a business that we like a lot we have owned for a while,” said Masters, who has been bullish on Nvidia and AI in general. MSI YTD mountain YTD shares of Motorola “When people think about Motorola, they do think about the phones, but it’s a fundamentally different business,” Masters told CNBC’s ” Street Signs Asia ” recently. “The phone business is pretty much long gone now and what the business essentially is, is a facilitator of public safety,” he added. According to Masters, “about 70% of the business” is dedicated to Land Mobile Radio (LMR), “the walkie talkies that first responders use to communicate.” The rest of the businesses includes its video security and building command center units. Masters is bullish on the stock – with Motorola’s LMR business is currently in an upgrade cycle in which new devices are charged at higher prices, he said. He added that the company’s video security and command center businesses are also gaining more traction in the market. “You’ve got these three elements backed by public safety [and] government spend. That’s an area of the market [where] even if you do think that the environment might look a bit sketchy, the clamps don’t really come on in terms of spend,” he added. Put that all together and you have a “very, very strong, high quality compounding business,” Masters said. “Results continue to be strong. Just a compounding winner,” he added in notes sent to CNBC. Masters noted that AI is not a “key driver” for the company and is not a pure play like Nvidia and Microsoft, though he says there are some “potential gaps” in which it can use AI to “augment growth.” One such possible use would be in Motorola’s video security solutions, where Masters noted that AI would help identify if anyone would be entering a school carrying a gun, and “control the access” into the school. Traded on the New York Stock Exchange, Motorola’s shares are up over 18% year to date, and up over 30% over the last 12 months. According to FactSet data, of 15 analysts covering the stock, nine give it a buy or overweight rating and six have a hold rating. The average price target on the stock is $376.38, giving it slightly downside potential.