Margins

Business
April 26, 2012
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Amazon crushes estimates in Q1, posts $130 million profit on $13.18 billion in sales

By on April 26, 2012 at 4:30 PM.

Amazon crushes estimates in Q1, posts $130 million profit on $13.18 billion in sales

Amazon on Thursday reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2012. Analysts were looking for a profit of $0.07 per share on $12.86 billion in sales, and Amazon posted earnings of $0.28 per share on revenue of $13.18 billion, crushing expectations. The retailer netted $0.38 per share on revenue of $17.4 billion this past holiday quarter, and $0.44 per share on $9.86 billion in sales during the first quarter last year. The nationwide retailer’s stock had been up and down all week as Wall Street’s concerns over margins continued to rattle investors. Amazon’s operating margin fell 3.7% to 1.5% of global revenue in the fourth quarter and in the first quarter a year ago, Amazon’s margins sat at 3.3%. In the first quarter of 2012, Amazon’s operating margins stayed flat at 1.5%. For the second quarter, Amazon forecasts a profit of $40 million, up from a loss of $260 million in the second quarter last year, on revenue of between $11.9 billion and $13.3 billion. Amazon’s stock was up more than 12% percent during after-hours trading on Thursday. The company’s full press release follows below. More →

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General
July 28, 2011
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Sprint reports big Q2 loss as it sheds 101,000 postpaid subs

By on July 28, 2011 at 7:30 AM.

Sprint reports big Q2 loss as it sheds 101,000 postpaid subs

Sprint on Thursday reported greater than expected losses in the second quarter despite modest revenue growth. The nation’s No. 3 carrier pulled in $8.3 billion in its June quarter, up 4% from the same quarter a year prior, but it wasn’t enough to bring the company back into the black. Sprint’s net losses in the second quarter totalled $827 million, 11% worse than the $760 million loss it reported in the second quarter of 2010. On the bright side, however, those losses include $588 million in bad investments and a $52 million tax charge from the state of Michigan, so Sprint would have shown sequential and year-over-year improvements if not for those losses. Sprint also reported its best subscriber churn of late in the second quarter, adding more than a million new subscribers despite shedding 101,000 net wireless postpaid customers. “Sprint’s second quarter results, including our fourteenth consecutive quarter of improved customer care satisfaction, our best ever postpaid churn, more than 1 million net wireless subscriber additions and wireless service revenue growth, validate that our focus on providing simplicity, value and an unmatched customer experience is working,” said Sprint CEO Dan Hesse in a statement. Of note, sprint also announced a deal with LightSquared on Thursday that will see it bring 4G LTE services to 260 million Americans by 2015. Sprint’s full earnings release follows below. More →

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Business
June 17, 2011
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RIM is bloody but not dead yet, RBC says

By on June 17, 2011 at 9:45 AM.

RIM is bloody but not dead yet, RBC says

In a note to investors Friday morning, RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Mike Abramsky lowered his target on shares of RIM stock from $45 to $35 with a Sector Perform rating. Following yesterday’s bloodbath, shares of RIM stock plummeted by as much as 19% after-hours on concerns surrounding RIM’s second-quarter and full-year outlook. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company slashed its full-year EPS outlook from $7.50 to between $5 and $6.50, and it said second-quarter earnings could be as low as $0.75 per share. Abramsky remains cautiously optimistic, however. “Disappointing Q1 results validates prior execution concerns amidst competitive pressures,” he writes. “Although it’s possible RIM fails to turn itself around, that outcome may be premature, we believe, given sustained positives.” The analyst notes 16% year-over-year growth, 68 million total subscribers, service growth and enterprise leadership among the yesterday’s bright spots, and says RIM’s strategy with QNX, TAT-built user interfaces and Android app support “remains sound.” He adds that the impact of BlackBerry 7 devices this fall and then QNX-based handsets, which are expected in the first quarter of 2012, could make RIM an “attractive acquisition candidate.”

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Business
May 31, 2011
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Nokia stock plummets as company lowers second-quarter, full-year guidance

By on May 31, 2011 at 8:50 AM.

Nokia stock plummets as company lowers second-quarter, full-year guidance

Shares of Nokia stock plummeted by as much as 12% on Tuesday as the Finnish cell phone maker lowered its second-quarter and full-year guidance for the 2011 calendar year. Nokia said competitive dynamics and market trends across multiple price categories will cause net sales of its devices and services to fall “substantially below” its previous projections of between €6.1 billion and €6.6 billion in the second quarter. The company also set operating margin will be well blow previous guidance, which sat between 6% and 9%. Nokia also stated that its full-year guidance is no longer valid. “Strategy transitions are difficult. We recognize the need to deliver great mobile products, and therefore we must accelerate the pace of our transition,” said CEO Stephen Elop in a statement. “Our teams are aligned, and we have increased confidence that we will ship our first Nokia product with Windows Phone in the fourth quarter 2011.” Nokia’s full press release can be seen below. More →

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General
April 19, 2011
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Sony Ericsson reports Q1 2011 results; profit cut in half on slow sales

By on April 19, 2011 at 10:36 PM.

Sony Ericsson reports Q1 2011 results; profit cut in half on slow sales

Sony Ericsson on Tuesday reported its earnings for the first quarter of 2011, during which profit fell sharply on slowed device shipments. While smartphones made up twice the number of total device sales compared to the same quarter in 2010, Sony Ericsson still only managed to ship 8.1 million devices — compared to 10.5 million in the first quarter last year. The average selling price of the company’s devices grew to €141 from €134 in the same quarter last year, but profit dropped 48% year-over-year to €11 million. Sony Ericsson did note that the earthquakes in Japan caused some disruption in its supply chain, but we’re not sure the cell phone maker was on track for a solid quarter either way. Hit the break for the full press release. More →

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General
October 30, 2010
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Samsung reports Q3: $3.98 billion in profit on $35.8 billion revenue

By on October 30, 2010 at 8:08 AM.

Samsung reports Q3: $3.98 billion in profit on $35.8 billion revenue

South Korean electronics powerhouse Samsung has announced its Q3 financials via a press release. The outfit raked in an impressive $35.8 billion in revenue and $3.98 billion in operating profits, and about 25% of that profit came by way of its thriving telecommunications business. Samsung chiefs were quick to credit their mobile communications wing, which shipped 71.4 million phones during Q3 — a 19% increase on last year’s figures. Samsung claims to have sold 7 million Galaxy S phones during the quarter and expects to sell 10 million by the end of the calendar year. Go on Samsung, pat yourself on the back. Press release after the break. More →

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General
October 28, 2010
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Motorola reports first growth quarter since 2008

By on October 28, 2010 at 8:27 AM.

Motorola reports first growth quarter since 2008

Motorola announced its Q3 results on Thursday and while the seemingly imminent arrival of the Verizon iPhone weighs heavily on investors’ minds, Motorola managed to report its best quarter in some time. Sales in the third quarter were up 13% year over year to $4.9 billion and phone revenue came in at $2 billion, up 20% from the year prior. Motorola shipped 9.1 million cell phones in Q3, 3.8 million of which were smartphones. Smartphone shipments beat the Street’s estimates, which typically fell between 3.5 and 3.6 million. Motorola also stated that its total cash on hand rose to $9 billion. Motorola’s business relies heavily on its current deal with Verizon Wireless, where its DROID-branded smartphones are a central draw that Verizon spends big marketing dollars on. Should Verizon finally manage to launch a CDMA version of the Apple iPhone next year, which is looking increasingly likely, it could spell trouble for Moto. More →

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