Continue reading Ma Bell Returns: AT&T to Buy T-Mobile for $39 Billion

Ma Bell Returns: AT&T to Buy T-Mobile for $39 Billion originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I have reiterated my buy recommendation on Canadian telecommunications giant BCE Inc. (BCE) in the latest issue of The Canada Report newsletter.

I originally advised buying the stock in December 2008 when it was trading at $17.76 following the collapse of a multi-billion dollar bid to take the company private. At the time, I felt that investors were overreacting to the news and throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Continue reading BCE Still a Buy

BCE Still a Buy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The wireless communication world is about to receive a new entrant, as the country's third-largest cable company will start a cellular network in three areas today. The company? Cox Communications.

Before you think that this wireless network will be available across the U.S., Cox's wireless offerings will be available in Orange County, California; Omaha, Nebraska; and Hampton Roads, Virginia. These three locales are where Cox is the local cable company, and they hold roughly 1.5 million residents.

Continue reading Cox Communications Launches Cell Phone Service

Cox Communications Launches Cell Phone Service originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Shares of RIMM Rise as NTP Slaps Competitors with Lawsuits

Shares of RIMM Rise as NTP Slaps Competitors with Lawsuits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading A New iPhone from Apple Could Help the Stock

A New iPhone from Apple Could Help the Stock originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A slight change of stance and high expectations for wireless devices other than phones might describe the current business direction for AT&T Inc. (T). Although still the very picture of stability, AT&T gave investors a moment of pause recently when it disclosed that it had garnered its fewest number of new Q1 customer contracts since 2004. Market saturation is being blamed as the most likely culprit in this decline, and the iPhone is no longer acting as much of a buffer.

There is no need to worry though, indications are that AT&T has seen this development coming, and the company is making adjustments to maintain cash flow, even though that revenue might not be coming from the company's most traditional sources. An AP article reveals that AT&T has high expectations of success for wireless devices other than phones, and that the company is lining itself up with some of the manufacturers of these new gadgets.

Continue reading AT&T: Where Do You Go from Here?

AT&T: Where Do You Go from Here? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading America Movil: Latin American Wireless Provider Extraordinaire

America Movil: Latin American Wireless Provider Extraordinaire originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's extremely tough to survive in the retail consumer electronics space, especially with competitors like Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT). Yet, RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) continues to find ways push ahead.

Today, the company released its Q3 report. Revenues came in at $990 million, which was a nice beat on the Wall Street consensus (about $962 million). Net income was $37.4 million, or $0.30 per share, which compares to last year's earnings of $49.1 million, or $0.38 per share. Keep in mind that the company has increased spending on branding (for its new positioning as "The Shack," which appears to be getting traction).

Continue reading RadioShack goes mobile, beats estimates

RadioShack goes mobile, beats estimates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Verizon: It's hard to beat modest growth with safety

Verizon: It's hard to beat modest growth with safety originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Verizon reports second quarter earnings, matches estimates

Verizon reports second quarter earnings, matches estimates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tel-Aviv based Ceragon Networks (NASDAQ: CRNT) will be releasing its second quarter earnings on July 20. After a miserable first quarter, in which profits fell 95% over the year-ago quarter, investors are skittish about the stock's prospects. My view: for investors, Ceragon is a good long-term play.

Here's why. First, the company has got a great business. It is a key player in helping wireless carriers increase the speed at which data flows over their networks. The company's equipment connects wireless base stations to a mobile operator's main network, where traffic flows. It's this transmission technology that is critically important to carriers as demand for data services -- and for smartphones -- rises. And they are both rising.

Continue reading Wireless Stock Watch: Shares of Ceragon are set for a rebound

Wireless Stock Watch: Shares of Ceragon are set for a rebound originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) has been in deep trouble for a while now. For some untold reason, the company placed almost all its growth bets on its wireless division but has not produced a hit handset in years. Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) and Samsung Electronics have been producing and selling all kinds of cutting-edge wireless handsets to carriers all over the world. What has Motorola been up to?

It's still producing handsets, but so many of the designs and marketing strategies have been commodities lately. Meanwhile, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has taken the mobile crown with the iPhone, and even Palm Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) has risen from the dead with the new Palm Pre. Motorola was in such bad shape financially that it even suspended the spinoff of its mobile unit last year.

Continue reading Does Motorola really think it has a chance?

Does Motorola really think it has a chance? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading AT&T (T) still rings true

AT&T (T) still rings true originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Well managed, dominant firms use downturns to become more powerful -- and that's definitely what Telefonica (NYSE: TEF) is up to," says Roger Conrad in The Utility Forecaster.

"Incorporated in 1924 as a unit of US-based ITT, the Spain-based company now serves 47 million customers in its home country, 150 million in 14 Latin American nations and 45 million elsewhere in Europe.

"Thus far in the recession, diversity and dominance of fast-growing markets has kept Telefonica growing. Overall global customer rolls increased by 15.2% through the third quarter 2008.

Continue reading Hola: Call on Telefonica (TEF)

Hola: Call on Telefonica (TEF) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), which competes with Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), reported Q1 numbers after the bell on Wednesday. The data continue to show that all is not well with the world.

Demand for Qualcomm's products is down, and as far as management is concerned, earnings visibility just isn't in the cards due to the financial mess and its effect on the company's marketable securities. Talk about not inspiring confidence.

For the first quarter, Qualcomm delivered pro forma earnings per share of $0.31. That represented an ugly drop of 40% on a year-over-year basis. Revenues inched up 3% to $2.5 billion. The top line beat expectations, but the bottom line didn't come anywhere close as Wall Street was counting on $0.47 per share. Then again, what did any of us expect? It's tough out there in the world.

Continue reading Qualcomm: I wouldn't buy it

Qualcomm: I wouldn't buy it originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Whenever anyone asks, 'Why invest in China?' the answer is very simple: that's where the money is, and it's where exponential future economic growth is also," says Jim Trippon.

The editor of The China Stock Digest then asks, "Will China suffers an Oympic hangover?" Here, he explains why that should not happen and offers a look at China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), which he calls the "top dog" in the Chinese wireless sector.

"The Bank of China (BOC) conducted a study of the effects of 12 Olympiads on their host countries over the course of 60 years. They found that nine of the twelve Olympic host countries suffered a decline in GDP growth in the eight years after the games.

"The key to a post Olympic slump is the size of the economy. Smaller economies like Korea suffered larger downturns after the games, while larger economies like the United States were not affected at all. In smaller economies the enormous investment dedicated to staging Olympic games created an arti?cial bubble which was followed by a slump when Olympic building booms came to an end.

"China has made one of the largest investments ever in the Olympic Games with some estimates of spending topping $40 billion. But we don't believe the capital city will go into a slump after the games.

Continue reading Olympic hangover? Not for China Mobile (CHL)

Olympic hangover? Not for China Mobile (CHL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• 1.5 million net customer additions for the wireless business;
• Wireless churn of 1.12%, 0.83% retail post-paid churn;
• 11.8 percent increase in total revenues; data revenues up 45.3%
• 176,000 net new FiOS TV customers and 187,000 net new FiOS Internet customers

Can Verizon keep it up? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Motorola (MOT) shares slide down to a five-year low originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Verizon bought Alltel for $28.1 billion: Is Sprint Nextel next? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Motorola (NYSE: MOT) is getting close to picking a CEO for its handset division. The operation is going to be spun-out next year. Its worldwide share of the cell phone business has fallen from 22% to about 10% over the last two years.

The CEO search may be one of those odd situations where a chimpanzee may be as good as a man.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "Chief Executive Greg Brown is desperate to find a manager to turn around Motorola's mobile-devices division, which has lost $1.6 billion since January 2007, when its hit Razr phone ran out of steam." But, can new management do what two previous generations of managers at Motorola could not do? The company has been effectively flanked by the world's largest handset company, Nokia (NYSE: NOK), along with Samsung and Sony Ericsson. Getting back any market share may be hard for Motorola.

The spin-off also raises the issue of how the new unit will find capital. It will need at least $2 billion to $3 billion in cash. For a failing company, that may be hard to come by.

Motorola now trades at $9. Its enterprise and home electronics divisions could be worth as much as its $20 billion market cap. That leaves the handset unit with a value of zero.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com and the author of the Ten Stocks Under $10 newsletter.

Motorola (MOT) looks for new handset CEO, captain of the Titanic originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.