The summer conference season has drawn to a close for this year. What has become an annual trek for hedge funds, mutual funds, portfolio managers and other investors to have the opportunity to find out a new nugget or two on the top technology names often sheds an intense spotlight on the good, the bad and the ugly. There one was huge change this year, as Deutsche Bank wrapped up its annual technology conference.
In past years, especially since 2008, a majority of the companies have left the conference attendees with the message that they remained very cautious and buzzwords like ��acro, Europe, limited visibility��were the norm. Not this year, the general tone of the attending companies was across the board positive, albeit moderate. In a new report, the Deutsche Bank team listed the stocks that are their top stocks to buy after attending the conference. We have broken them out by sector segment.
Communications Equipment/Optical
Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) is seeing a huge improvement in its U.S and European business from the carriers for its 100G transport, OTN and packet networking portfolio. The Deutsche Bank price target is $27, and the Thomson/First Call estimate is also $27.
Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Research in Motion Ltd (BBRY)
Research In Motion Limited, incorporated on March 7, 1984, is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services, it provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to information, including e-mail, voice, instant messaging, short message service (SMS), Internet and intranet-based applications and browsing. The Company's technology also enables an array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services through software development kits, wireless connectivity to data and third-party support programs.Its portfolio of products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations and millions of consumers around the world and include the BlackBerry wireless solution, the RIM Wireless Handheld product line, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, software development tools and other software and hardware.
On March 25, 2011, the Company purchased 100% of the shares of a company whose technology is being incorporated into the Company�� developer tools. On April 26, 2011, the Company purchased certain assets of a company whose acquired technologies will be incorporated into the Company�� products. In June 2011, the Company acquired Scoreloop. On March 8, 2012, the Company acquired Paratek Microwave Inc. During the fiscal year ended March 3, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company purchased 100% interests of a company, whose technology will be incorporated into its technology; whose technology offers cloud-based services for storing, sharing, accessing and organizing digital content on mobile devices; whose technology is being incorporated into an application on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet; whose technology offers a customizable and cross-platform social mobile gaming developer tool kit, and whose technology will provide a multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution for managing and securing mobile devices for enterpris! es and government organizations.
On April 24, 2012, the Company launched BlackBerry 7 smartphone, the BlackBerry Curve 9220, for customers in Indonesia. April 18, 2012, it launched BlackBerry 7 smartphone, the BlackBerry Curve 9220, for customers in India. On April 17, 2012, it announced availability of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone in Spain. On April 3, 2012, it launched BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, and launched four BlackBerry smartphones powered by the BlackBerry 7 operating system (OS) in Cambodia, which included BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Bold 9790, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and BlackBerry Curve 9380. On April 2, 2012, it announced the availability of BlackBerry App World, the official application store for BlackBerry smartphones in Brunei, and it announced availability of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 smartphones for Cell C customers in South Africa. On March 27, 2012, it launched of the BlackBerry solution in Benin Republic. On March 15, 2012, it launched of BlackBerry services in China. On March 7, 2012, it launched the BlackBerry service in Angola.
The Company's primary revenue stream is generated by the BlackBerry wireless solution, consists of smartphones and tablets, service and software. BlackBerry service is provided through a combination of its global BlackBerry Infrastructure and the wireless networks of its carrier partners. On February 21, 2012, it released the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software. It generates hardware revenues from sales, primarily to carriers and distributors. During fiscal 2012, the Company launched the wireless fidelity (WiFi)-enabled BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in 44 markets around the world. On July 21, 2011, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet received Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 certification.
BlackBerry Smartphones and Tablets
BlackBerry smartphones uses wireless, push-based technology that delivers data to mobile users��business and consumer applications. BlackBerry s! martphone! s integrate messaging including instant messaging, email and SMS; voice calling; Webkit browser; multimedia capabilities; calendar, and other applications. During fiscal 2012, it introduced 10 new smartphones and launched software updates to both its smartphone and tablet platforms. BlackBerry smartphones are available from hundreds of carriers and indirect channels, through a range of distribution partners, and are designed to operate on a variety of carrier networks, including HSPA/HSPA+/UMTS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA/Ev-DO, and iDEN.
During fiscal 2012, its BlackBerry smartphone and tablet portfolio included BlackBerry Bold series, BlackBerry Torch series, BlackBerry Curve series and The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Its BlackBerry Bold series includes BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 and BlackBerry Bold 9790. The Company�� BlackBerry Torch series include BlackBerry Torch 9810 and All-Touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860. The Company's BlackBerry Curve series include BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370 and All-Touch BlackBerry Curve 9380 Smartphone. The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet features the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0. The BlackBerry PlayBook offers a seven-inch high definition display, a dual core one gigahertz processor, dual high definition cameras, multitasking and a Web browsing.
BlackBerry Enterprise Solution
BlackBerry Enterprise Server is software that acts as the centralized link between BlackBerry smartphones, enterprise systems, business applications and wireless networks. BlackBerry Enterprise Server integrates with enterprise messaging systems including Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise to synchronize with BlackBerry smartphones to provide mobile users with wireless access to e-mail, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks. It also provides access to business applications and enterprise systems. In addition, it provides security features and offers administrative tools. BlackBerry Enterprise Server is required for certain other enterprise ! solutions! , such as BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (for bringing desk phone functionality to BlackBerry smartphones); BlackBerry Clients for Microsoft Office Communications Server, IBM Lotus Sametime and Novell GroupWise Messenger (for enterprise instant messaging); IBM Lotus Connections (for enterprise social networking); IBM Lotus Quickr (for document sharing and collaboration); and Chalk Pushcast Software (for corporate podcasting).
The Company�� BlackBerry Mobile Fusion provides a Web-based interface that allows enterprises to provision, audit, and protect mobile devices including BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, and devices that use iOS and Android. BlackBerry Balance helps enterprises support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is free server software that synchronizes BlackBerry smartphones with Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Windows Small Business Server. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express works with Microsoft Exchange 2010, 2007 and 2003 and Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 and 2003 to provide users with wireless access to e-mail, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks, as well as other business applications and enterprise systems behind the firewall.
BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (BlackBerry MVS) allows organizations to converge office desk phones and BlackBerry smartphones. BlackBerry MVS is consists of three components: BlackBerry MVS Client, BlackBerry MVS Services, and BlackBerry MVS Server. It unifies fixed and mobile voice communications. Hosted BlackBerry services bring the BlackBerry Enterprise Server features, functionality, and security capabilities in a package that is managed for end users. Hosted BlackBerry services are conveniently handled and supported by a BlackBerry certified partner from the BlackBerry Alliance Program, giving small and medium -sized enterprise (SME) enterprises the support and convenience they need.
Service
The Company generates service rev! enues fro! m billings to RIM's BlackBerry subscriber account base. It generates service revenues primarily from a monthly infrastructure access fee charged to a carrier or reseller, which the carrier or reseller in turn bills the BlackBerry subscriber.
BlackBerry Technical Support Services
BlackBerry Technical Support Services are a suite of annual technical support and software maintenance programs. The programs are designed to meet the customer�� BlackBerry support needs by offering a contact for BlackBerry wireless solution technical support directly from the Company.
Non-Warranty Repairs
The Company generates revenue from its repair and maintenance program for BlackBerry smartphones that are returned to it by the carrier, the reseller, or the customer. It generates revenue for repair after the expiration of the contractual warranty period.
The Company competes with Apple Inc., Microsoft Inc., Nokia Corporation, Dell, Inc., Fujitsu Limited, General Dynamics Corporation, Hitachi America, Ltd., HTC Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, Mitsubishi Corporation, Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc., NEC Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, ZTE Corporation, IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Notify Technology Corporation, Openwave Systems Inc., Seven Networks, Inc., Sybase, Inc. and Good Technologies.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Rick Munarriz]
In this video, longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz explores the real problem with BlackBerry's (NASDAQ: BBRY ) 2.7 million Z10 and Q10 devices sold during their debut quarter by comparing the 3% adoption rate to Apple's better-than-10% adoption rate when the iPhone 5 came out. There seemed like a flattering nugget out of BlackBerry from its previous conference call in March, but in the context of last week's carnage, it's not pretty.
- [By Rick Munarriz]
I went out on a limb last week, and now it's time to see how that decision played out.
I predicted that BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY ) would close lower on the week. The hype that's been building for months surrounding the domestic launch of the Z10 hasn't matched the reality now that the country's two largest carriers have the new BlackBerry device available. Still, the stock rallied earlier in the week, holding on to enough of those gains to close out the week 1.7% higher. I was wrong. I predicted that the tech-heavy Nasdaq would outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average. (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) . This has been a tricky call lately, so how did it play out this time? Well, it didn't. The Nasdaq got blasted for a 1.9% hit, and the Dow managed to close barely unchanged, with only a marginal downtick. I was wrong. My final call was for Conn's (NASDAQ: CONN ) to beat Wall Street's quarterly profit target. The consumer-electronics retailer has been able to sidestep the stagnancy taking place at larger chains because Conn's offers larger items, including mattresses and lawn-maintenance equipment, that can't be easily replaced online. The company also has been beating Wall Street estimates consistently over the past year. Analysts were looking for a profit of $0.55 a share during the quarter, and it came through with net income of $0.54. I was wrong. I missed on all three. That doesn't happen often, and I know I can do better. So let me once again whip out my trusty, dusty, and occasionally accurate crystal ball to make three calls that may play out over the next few trading days.
- [By Chris Neiger]
It's been a long, hard fall for BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY ) . In 2009, the company held 55% of the U.S. smartphone market share, and today it holds just 4.8%. In 2007, BlackBerry's share price peaked around $145 and has since dropped more than 93%.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Analysts expect BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) to post a Q2 loss at $0.49 per share on revenue of $1.61 billion. BlackBerry shares fell 1.38% to $7.84 in after-hours trading.
Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: TomTom NV (OEM)
TomTom NV is a Netherlands-based supplier of location and navigation products and services. The Company�� structure consists of four customer facing business units, namely Consumer, Automotive, Business Solutions and Licensing. The first three business units provide targeted solutions for the Company�� customers, including private consumers, car manufacturers and fleet owners. Licensing sells its content and services to multiple customer groups including portable navigation devices (PNDs) and wireless companies, governments and enterprises. The Company�� business units embed 11 product units, such as digital maps, traffic intelligence, navigation software, PNDs, automotive systems, fleet management services (FMS), smart phone applications, sports watches, points of interest, location based services (LBS) and speedcam intelligence. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was active in 35 countries. In July 2013, it acquired Coordina (Gestion Electronica Logistica, S.L.).
Advisors' Opinion: - [By victorselva]
In a macro view, revenues in the electronic equipment and instrument sub-industry will remain strong due to the rise in equipment and instrument manufacturers. Distributors, electronic manufacturing service (EMS) companies and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are going to increase orders as the economy improves in the future. With this promising outlook, let's take a look at Gabelli麓s last trade and try to explain to investors the reasons of this appealing investment opportunity.
Hot Regional Bank Companies To Invest In 2015: Alcatel Lucent SA (ALU)
Alcatel Lucent, incorporated on June 18, 1898, is engaged in mobile, fixed, Internet Protocol (IP) and Optics technologies, applications and services. The Company is a partner of service providers, enterprises, industries and governments worldwide. Alcatel-Lucent includes Bell Labs centres of research in communications technology. Its operations are in more than 130 countries. The Company operates in three business segments: networks, applications, and services. On December 31, 2010, the Company completed the sale of its Vacuum pump solutions and instruments business to Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology AG. In September 2010, the Company acquired OpenPlug, a mobile software and applications development tools vendor. In June 29, 2010, the Company acquired ProgrammableWeb.
During 2010, the Company launched the Digital Media Store, a multicontent digital storefront that allows service providers to deliver content to end-users. Launched during 2010, Optism is a permission-based mobile marketing solution. During 2010, it launched Alcatel-Lucent�� Mobile Wallet Service (MWS), which allows the mobile operator to leverage its secure network to deliver a mobile payment capability through a mobile handset. During 2010, it also launched Alcatel-Lucent�� Application Exposure Suite to facilitate the development of new services by third-party application developers and content providers.
Networks Segment
The Networks segment supplies a portfolio of products and offerings used by fixed, wireless and converged service providers, as well as enterprises and governments for their business communications. The Company�� IP portfolio consists of four product families that deliver multiple services, including broadband triple play for residential customers; Ethernet and IP Virtual Private Network (VPN) services for Enterprise customers, and wireless second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G) and long term evolution (LTE) broadband services for mobile operators. The main product fami! lies include Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) service routers, Carrier Ethernet service switche, Multi-service wide-area-network (or MS WAN) switches and Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances.
Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) service routers direct traffic within and between carriers��national and international networks to enable delivery of a range of IP-based services (including Internet access, Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), Voice over IP (VoIP), mobile phone and data, and managed Enterprise VPN services) on a single common network infrastructure with superior performance, with application intelligence, and with scalability (such as the simultaneous support of many diverse types of traffic and customers); Carrier Ethernet service switches. Carrier Ethernet service switches enable carriers to deliver residential, business and wireless services, and these products are mainly used in metropolitan area networks; Multi-service wide-area-network (MS WAN) switches. Multi-service wide-area-network (MS WAN) switches enable fixed line and wireless carriers to transition their existing networks to support newer technologies and services, and Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances. Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances distribute and cache (store) Web and video content.
The Company�� Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) and Carrier Ethernet products are designed to facilitate the development and availability of applications for the more participatory and interactive Web 2.0 business and consumer services. Its service routers are particularly well suited to deliver complex services to business, residential and mobile end-users. Its IP/MPLS service routers and Carrier Ethernet service switches are often used in conjunction with its DSL and Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) access products to deliver these newer triple-play services, or with its wireless access products to deliver LTE solutions, or w! ith its D! ense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) and optical switching products to deliver converged backbone transformation solutions for optimizing IP transport. Its Optics division designs and markets equipment for the long distance transportation of data over fiber optic connections via land (terrestrial) and under sea (submarine), as well as for short distances in metropolitan and regional areas.
The Company�� transport portfolio also includes the microwave wireless transmission equipment. Its terrestrial optical products offer a portfolio designed to seamlessly support service growth from the metro to the network core. With its products, carriers manage voice, data and video traffic patterns based on different applications or platforms and can introduce a range of managed data services, including multiple service quality capabilities, variable service rates and traffic congestion management. These products allow carriers to leverage their existing network infrastructure to offer these new services. Its submarine cable networks can connect continents (using optical amplification required over long distances), a mainland and an island, several islands together, or many points along a coast. It offers a portfolio of point-to-point microwave radio products meeting both European telecommunications standards (ETSI) and American standards-based (ANSI) requirements.
The Company�� Wireless All Around message developed during 2010 is a combination of wireless and IP products. The version of CDMA technology, known as 1X EV-DO Revision A, enables operators to offer two-way, real-time, high-speed data applications, such as VoIP, mobile video, push-to-talk and push-to-multimedia. The introduction of High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and HSPA+ (the latest evolutions of W-CDMA technology) on networks and devices has led to increases in data speeds available to broadband devices. The Company develops mobile radio products for the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile communications (GS! M) standa! rd, including General Packet Radio Service / Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (GPRS/EDGE) technology upgrades to that standard.
LTE offers service providers a compelling evolution path from all existing networks (GSM, W-CDMA, CDMA or WiMAX) by simplifying the radio access network and converging on a common IP base. RFS designs and sells cable, antenna, tower systems and their related electronic components, providing an end-to-end suite of radio frequency products. RFS serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, system integrators, network operators and installers in the broadcast, wireless communications, microwave and defense sectors. Specific applications for RFS products include cellular sites, in-tunnel and in-building radio coverage, microwave links, television and radio. The Company offers products that extend from legacy switching systems to IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) solutions for fixed, mobile, and converged operators. It has deployed its next-generation network (NGN) products in more than 170 fixed NGN networks, and it has provided the core network for more than 66 full IMS fixed and mobile networks. Its fixed access solutions allow carriers to offer triple-play services over a single access line. Its carrier customers are offering both residential and business customers multiple services, such as a number of broadcast channels, video on demand, high definition television (HDTV), VoIP, high speed Internet, and business access services.
Applications Segment
The Applications segment develops software-based applications and solutions that contribute to the personal communications for users. The Applications group is divided into two businesses: Enterprise Applications and Network Applications. The Enterprise Applications business includes its IP-based communications and collaboration applications for enterprises, including the Genesys contact center business. The Network Applications business develops applications used by service pr! oviders t! o deliver a range of services to their customers, and also includes Motive, which provides software for service providers to remotely manage their customers��at-home networks, networked devices and broadband and mobile data services. During the year ended December 31, 2010, its Applications segment accounted 12% of its total revenue.
The Applications segment is investing resources in next generation collaboration and communications systems offered by its Enterprise Applications division; customer contact, customer engagement and service management areas addressed by its Genesys and Motive businesses; carrier applications, such as communication and messaging, next-generation telephony, digital media and multi-screen delivery of content and personalized advertising, device agnostic location based address book services, and technologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), and Application Enablement.
Services Segment
The Services segment is focused in helping the service provider and customers realize the potential of media, information technology (IT) and telecommunications services and technologies. These services address the lifecycle of its customers��networks and operations, and encompass business consulting, systems design and integration, maintenance and managed services. The service offerings are organized around four areas: network and system integration, managed and outsourcing solutions, multi-vendor maintenance, and product-attached services.
The Company competes with Avaya, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Huawei, ZTE and Nokia Siemens Networks.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Lee Jackson]
Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (NYSE: ALU) is a top name to buy at Raymond James. In fact the optical products company makes the list of top stock picks. The ill-fated merger between the two companies has taken many years and many CEOs to find any traction. However, the big carriers are starting to increase orders, and the company is getting a nice share of them. Raymond James has a $4.50 price target. The consensus estimate is at $3. The stock closed yesterday at $3.58.
- [By Rich Smith]
It's been a little over a century since France's Napoleon Bonaparte�marched on Moscow, and disaster ensued. One hundred and one years later, let's hope France's latest Russian adventure works out better.
On Thursday, French telecom equipment giant Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU ) announced that it is partnering with Russian telco Avelacom to build a 100 gigabit-per-second (100G) optical backbone network from London to Moscow. Based on Alcatel-Lucent's Agile Optical Networking technology, the 100G optical network will permit high-capacity, low-latency, high-speed distribution of data between the two capitols. The network will also tie up with Avelacom's existing lines among Moscow and St. Petersburg, the Baltic states, Scandinavia, and Western Europe.
- [By Andrew Tonner]
In the fast-paced, dog-eat-dog world of big tech, fortunes come and go quickly. One such example is the fallen star of French telecom equipment, Alcatel颅-Lucent (NYSE: ALU ) . The company's been through the wringer since its merger several years ago. With its shares having skyrocketed over the past several months, investors are hoping the company has finally regained its mojo after struggling through a harrowing turnaround process. However, it might not be that simple, as our tech and telecom analyst shows in the following video.
Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Revolution Lighting Technologies Inc (RVLT)
Revolution Lighting Technologies Inc., incorporated on December 16, 1993, designs, manufacture, market and sells commercial grade, light emitting diode (LED) replacement light bulbs and LED-based signage, channel letter and contour lighting products. The Company sells these products under the Seesmart, Array Lighting and Lumificient brand names. The Company operates in two segments: LED replacement lamps and fixtures and LED signage and lighting strips. On December 20, 2012, the Company acquired Seesmart Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Simi Valley, California. In August 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of Relume Technologies (Relume). In October 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired a portfolio of general illumination LED lighting products, including several product lines from CMG Energy Solutions (CMG). In November 2013, the Company acquired Tri-State LED.
The Company�� LED replacement lamps and fixtures segment include the Seesmart business and the Array business, which has been integrated with the Seesmart business. The LED signage and lighting strips segment is comprised of the Lumificient business.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Rich Smith]
As you've probably heard by now, shares of LED lighting specialist Revolution Lighting� (NASDAQ: RVLT ) popped by nearly 18% in Monday trading. But why?
- [By Paul Ausick]
Without making too much fuss over a small-cap stock, Revolution Lighting Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: RVLT) is seeing its share price rise by nearly 25% today after reporting results this Friday morning. Yahoo! Finance does not have any estimates for the company, but Revolution posted an operating loss of $3.1 million in the quarter, more than four times worse than its loss in the same period in 2012. Even with adjustments Revolution�� operating loss totaled $1.8 million.
- [By Roberto Pedone]
Another under-$10 stock that's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Revolution Lightning Technologies (RVLT), which designs, manufactures, markets and sells, commercial grade, LED replacement lamps, LED fixtures and LED-based signage, channel-letter and contour lighting products. This stock has been a monster for the bulls so far in 2013, with shares up a whopping 445%.
If you take a look at the chart for Revolution Lightning Technologies, you'll notice that this stock has recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $2.19 to $2.22 a share. Following that bottom, shares of RVLT exploded to the upside and hit a recent high of $3.96 a share with strong upside volume flows. Shares of RVLT are now finding some buying interest right around its 50-day moving average of $3.36 a share. If that level can hold, then RVLT will set up to resume its uptrend and potentially trigger another big breakout trade.
Market players should now look for long-biased trades in RVLT if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $3.70 to $3.80 a share and then above more resistance at $3.96 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.21 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then RVLT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $4.94 to $5.50 a share.
Traders can look to buy RVLT off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average at $3.36 a share, or around $3 a share. One can also buy RVLT off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Motorola Solutions Inc (MSI)
Motorola Solutions, Inc. (Motorola Solutions), incorporated March 9, 1973, provides communication infrastructure, devices, software and services. The Company provides these products and services for enterprise and government customers worldwide. The Company operates in two segments: Government and Enterprise. The Government segment includes sales of public safety communications systems, commercial two-way radio systems and devices, software and services. The Enterprise segment includes sales of rugged and enterprise-grade mobile computers and tablets, laser/imaging/RFID-based data capture products, wireless local area network (WLAN) and integrated digital enhanced network (iDEN) infrastructure, software and services. In January 2014, the Company announced that it has acquired Twisted Pair Solutions, a provider of push-to-talk over broadband applications for secure, real-time communication anywhere, on any device.
Government
The Government segment designs, manufactures, sells, and provides services around voice and data communications systems, devices, security products and applications. These products and services are sold to a range of customers, including government, public safety and first responder agencies, as well as commercial customers who operate private communications networks and manage a mobile workforce.
The Company offer a portfolio of network infrastructure, devices, applications and services, based on Association for Public Safety Communications Officials 25 (APCO), terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA), and digital mobile radio (DMR) standards, as well as broadband technologies (Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and WiFi). Its products and services are sold stand alone, as well as part of an integrated system. In addition, Motorola Solutions offer critical applications in the public safety command center, including voice, computer aided dispatch and multimedia/video. The Company�� service offering includes mobility consulting, system design and installatio! n, network and device management and product support.
The Company competes with Cassidian/EADS, Harris, Hytera, Kenwood, Sepura and Tait.
Enterprise
The Enterprise segment designs, manufactures, sells and provides services around WLAN infrastructure, rugged and enterprise-grade advanced data capture and mobile computing devices, security products and applications. These are sold to a range of enterprise customers, including those in retail and hospitality, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, energy and utilities, education and healthcare. Motorola Solutions offers a portfolio of devices, infrastructure, applications and services, which include rugged and enterprise-grade mobile computers and tablets, laser/imager/RFID based data capture devices and kiosks, WLAN switches/controllers and access points, network and device management software, network and device security software, voice-based devices and software, and systems based iDEN technology.
The Company competes with Apple, Aruba, Bluebird, Cisco, Datalogic, Honeywell, Hewlett Packard, Intermec, Psion, Panasonic and Samsung.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Evan Niu]
What: Shares of Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI ) plunged today by as much as 10% after the company reported earnings and provided lackluster guidance.
- [By Lauren Pollock]
Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Caterpillar Inc.(CAT), Boeing Co.(BA) and Motorola Solutions Inc.(MSI)
- [By Whitney Kisling]
Companies from Accenture to Juniper Networks Inc. (JNPR) and Motorola Solutions Inc. (MSI) have predicted sales that trailed analyst estimates. The industry is 9.1 percent cheaper than the S&P 500 (SPX), a bigger discount than seven of the nine other industries, behind only energy and financial stocks.
- [By Selena Maranjian]
More than a handful of Guru-approved companies had strong performances over the past year. Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE: HIG ) and Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI ) each surged 31%. Hartford has been shifting its focus from annuities, retirement planning, and life insurance toward property and casualty insurance. It has been tackling its significant debt, and its fourth-quarter earnings exceeded expectations. The stock has exhibited volatility, but some see it as undervalued now, with a forward P/E ratio of just 8.
Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR)
Juniper Networks, Inc. (Juniper Networks), incorporated on September 10, 1996, designs, develops, and sells products and services that together provide its customers with network infrastructure. It operates in two segments: Infrastructure and Service Layer Technologies (SLT). The Company�� Infrastructure segment primarily offers routing and switching products that are used to control and direct network traffic from the core, through the edge, aggregation, and the customer premise equipment level. Infrastructure products include its Internet protocol (IP) routing, carrier Ethernet routing portfolio, and Ethernet switching portfolio. In addition, the Infrastructure segment offers a complete wireless local area network (WLAN) solution. Its SLT segment offers solutions that meet a range of its customers' priorities, from protecting the users, applications and data on the network itself to providing network services across a distributed infrastructure. Effective September 13, 2013, Juniper Networks, Inc. acquired Contrail Networks Inc.
Brilliant is a supplier of packet-based, network synchronization equipment and monitoring solutions. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company introduced its network architecture and fabric technology for the data center, QFabric. It serves the high-performance networking requirements of global service providers, enterprises, and public sector organizations. The Company�� open cross-network software platform includes the Junos operating system (Junos OS), Junos Space network application platform, and Junos Pulse integrated network client. The Company offers a product portfolio that spans routing, switching, security, application access, and mobility device security.
Infrastructure Products
The Company�� T Series core routers are primarily designed for core IP infrastructures and are also being sold into the multi-service environment. Its PTX Series is a large capacity (8 and 16 tera-bits per second) MPLS-optimized packe! t transport switch for the core networks, of content service providers and Tier 1 service providers, with high throughout of packet traffic. The Company�� E Series products are a full featured platform designed for the network edge with support for carrier-class routing, broadband subscriber management services, and a set of IP services. The MX Series is a product family developed to address emerging Ethernet network architectures and services in service provider and enterprise networks. The Company�� EX Series family extends its product portfolio running its Junos OS to address the Ethernet switch market. Ethernet is a used technology, which is used to transport information in enterprise networks. Infrastructure Products also includes QFabric Products and WLAN product.
SLT Products
SLT Products include Services Gateway, Integrated Firewall, and VPN Solutions, Secure Access Appliances, Secure Access Appliances, IDP Series Appliances and Identity and Policy Control Solutions. The Company�� SRX Series of dynamic services gateways, running its Junos software, provides firewall/VPN and combines routing, switching, and security functionality. The series is designed to meet network and security requirements for data center consolidation, rapid managed services deployments, and aggregation of security services. Its firewall and VPN systems and appliances are designed to provide integrated firewall, VPN, and denial of service protection capabilities for both enterprise environments and service provider network infrastructures. These products range from its SSG product series, which combines LAN/WAN routing capabilities with threat management features, such as antivirus, anti-spam, and Web filtering technologies, to its ISG and NetScreen Series firewall and VPN systems, which are designed to deliver security in medium/large enterprises, carrier networks, and data centers.
The Company�� Junos Pulse, Junos Pulse Mobile Security Suite, and SA Series SSL VPN appliances,! designed! for use in companies of all sizes, are used to provide secure access to corporate resources for remote and mobile users from any Web-enabled device, regardless of location. Its portfolio of identity and policy control solutions integrates subscriber privileges, application requirements, and business policies with the IP network infrastructure.
The Company competes with Cisco Systems, Inc. (Cisco), Alcatel-Lucent, Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Brocade), Extreme Networks, Inc., Hewlett Packard Company (HP), Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei), Check Point Software Technologies, F5 Networks, Inc., Palo Alto Networks, Inc., and Riverbed Technology, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Sean Williams]
Leading the charge higher, up 6.6%, was network equipment provider Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR ) whose CEO, Kevin Johnson, commented that he expects a rising trend of capital expenditures for service providers at a conference hosted by Bank of America. Don't say I didn't tell you this, because the signs have been evident for a while that networking equipment, fiber, switching, adapter providers, et al., were poised to benefit from AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile�as they play catch-up to Verizon's�4G LTE network. Increased capital spending for these companies takes time to work its way down the chain, but it's about to create the next in a series of infrastructure booms, of which Juniper looks ripe to reap the rewards.
Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Fabrinet (FN)
Fabrinet, incorporated on August 12, 1999, provides optical packaging and precision optical, electro-mechanical and electronic manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of complex products, such as optical communication components, modules and sub-systems, industrial lasers and sensors. The Company offers a range of optical and electro-mechanical capabilities across the entire manufacturing processes, including process design and engineering, supply chain management, manufacturing, advanced packaging, final assembly and test.
The products that the Company manufactures for its OEM customers includes optical communications devices, such as selective switching products, such as reconfigurable optical add-drop modules (ROADMs), optical amplifiers, modulators and other optical components and modules that collectively enable network managers to route signals through fiber traffic at various wavelengths and over various distances; tunable transponders and transceivers that eliminate the need to stock individual fixed wavelength transponders and transceivers used in voice and data communications networks; and active optical cables providing high-speed interconnect capabilities for data centers and computing clusters, as well as Infiniband, Ethernet, fiber channel and optical backplane connectivity.
Solid state, diode-pumped, gas and fiber lasers (industrial lasers) used across a array of industries, including semiconductor processing (wafer inspection, wafer dicing, wafer scribing), biotechnology (DNA sequencing, flow cytometry, hematology, antibody detection), metrology (instrumentation, calibration, inspection), and material processing (photo processing, textile cutting, annealing, marking, engraving); and sensors, including differential pressure, micro-gyro, fuel and other sensors that are used in automobiles, and non-contact temperature measurement sensors for the medical industry. The Company also designs and fabricates application-specific crystals, pri! sms, mirrors, laser components and substrates (customized optics) and other custom and standard borosilicate, clear fused quartz, and synthetic fused silica glass products (customized glass).
The Company competes with Sanmina-SCI Corporation, Celestica Inc., Venture Corporation Limited, Benchmark Electronics, Inc, Browave Corporation, Fujian Castech Crystals, Inc., Research Electro-Optic, Inc. and Photop Technologies, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Seth Jayson]
Fabrinet (NYSE: FN ) reported earnings on April 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 29 (Q3), Fabrinet beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Fabrinet (NYSE: FN ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Audience Inc (ADNC)
Audience, Inc., incorporated on May 24, 2011, is a provider of voice and audio solutions that improve voice quality and the user experience in mobile devices. The Company�� solutions include hardware-accelerated digital signal processors (DSPs), and audio codecs and associated algorithms for noise suppression in mobile devices. Its computational auditory scene analysis (CASA) maps the sound separation functions in human hearing, into a computational framework. The Company�� platform consists of its DSPs and audio codec, analog and mixed signal circuits and algorithms for voice isolation and noise suppression.
The Company also provides its AuViD graphical design tools to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The Company had sold over 250 million processors to its OEM customers as of December 31, 2012. In addition to the mobile device market, the Company�� voice and audio technology is also applicable to a range of other market segments, including automobile infotainment systems, digital cameras, digital televisions, headsets and set top boxes.
The Company�� product portfolio supports both analog and digital interfaces. As of December 31, 2012, the Company offered eS515, eS325, eS305, eS310, eS110, A1028 and A1026 custom voice and audio processors for device platforms, including smartphones, feature phones and media tablets. eS515 is a third generation voice and audio processor with an integrated audio codec, featuring support of three-microphones; eS325is a third generation voice and audio processor that features simultaneous three microphone processing; eS305 is a second generation voice and audio processor utilizing new hardware acceleration architecture and algorithms for far-field, wideband communications and capable of advanced speech recognition assist, and uses an all digital interface; eS310, provides similar capabilities to the eS305; eS110 is a first generation narrowband voice processor designed for real-time communications and far-field as well as near-field u! se with features such as acoustic echo cancelation, voice equalization and automatic gain control; A1026, is a first generation narrowband voice processor designed for real-time communications and typical near-field use, and A1028, which is a first generation narrowband voice processor designed for real-time communications and far-field, as well as near-field use.
The Company derives its revenue primarily from the sale of voice and audio processors to OEMs, which incorporate them into mobile devices. As of December 31, 2012, OEMs, CMs and distributors worldwide had purchased more than 250 million of its processors and incorporated them in over 140 mobile device models.
The Company competes with Maxim, ON Semiconductor, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Wolfson Microelectronics plc, DSP Group, Inc. and Yamaha Corporation.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Audience (Nasdaq: ADNC ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
xboxone.com Microsoft (MSFT) is tired of letting Sony (SNE) pad its lead in competition among the latest generation of gaming consoles, so the Xbox parent is going on the offensive. Microsoft will release a cheaper Xbox One on June 9, the day before diehard gamers converge at the annual E3 conference. Slashing the system's price by $100 to $399 will match what Sony is commanding for its PlayStation 4, but Xbox fans will have to do without the motion-based Kinect controller to get the lower price. That's a big sacrifice given how Microsoft has promoted its camera-based controller to players and developers, but it was the easiest way to cut the price just seven months into the console's life cycle. Microsoft doesn't have much choice. The Xbox 360 dominated the Wii and PS3 in the previous generation of consoles, but Sony's leading the way now. One is the Loneliest Number Sony claims to have sold 7 million PS4s to consumers since they hit the market in November. Microsoft rolled out the Xbox One a week later, and says it has sold 5 million of the consoles to retailers. There's a big a difference between the sell-through figure that Sony is using and Microsoft's number, which includes systems that may still be on retailers' shelves. Sony's real lead is likely significantly greater than 2 million units. This is clearly Sony's generation. Nintendo (NTDOY) put out the Wii U a year earlier, and it was still the PS4 that became the first next-gen platform to crack through the mark of 7 million systems sold. The PS4 isn't winning just because it's cheaper. The Wii U costs less -- and that was even before a price cut of its own last summer. Sony and Microsoft both have powerful machines, but the Xbox upset too many gamers last year when it began talking about requiring constant connectivity or reportedly pondering copy protection that would disallow secondhand games from playing. Microsoft backed away from many of its initial restrictive features before the November launch, but the sentiment during last year's E3 conference was that the PS4 would outsell the Xbox One. It did, and now Microsoft needs to find a way to get its mojo back. Kinect the Dots Microsoft announced a couple of new initiatives last week aimed at winning back gamers. Among them, it will now allow any Xbox One owner to access entertainment apps including the popular video streaming applications. Xbox One rolled out requiring buyers to pay extra for Xbox Gold Live to access Netflix, Hulu and other entertainment hubs. The move was long overdue, even if the majority of Xbox One owners are likely Xbox Gold Live members already. The biggest change in Microsoft's attack strategy is putting out a $399 Xbox without Kinect. That's a big deal since the Kinect controller was a key marketing point when Microsoft was trying to position its console as the ultimate living room centerpiece. Kinect allows owners to use hand gestures or spoken commands to interact with the system. More importantly, developers who have put out Xbox One games, as well as those still working on titles, have all been coding under the assumption that every Xbox One will come with a Kinect. That won't be true anymore. Making matters worse, Kinect as a standalone purchase for those buying the cheaper consoles won't hit the market until the fall. The Price of Competition Consumers typically win in a price war, but that may not be the case here if developers turn more of their attention to the more popular PS4 platform and buyers of the $399 systems realize that they are paying a lot of money for an incomplete experience. Yes, Sony's camera-based controller is also an add-on accessory. PS4 owners pay an extra $60 for the camera. However, it was never included in the basic system, and software developers have always known that. Microsoft needed to get cheaper. It upset too many diehard gamers ahead of the system's release to succeed as the more expensive console. However, if the path to being more economical involves further upsetting players and software publishers, it may not have achieved that goal at all. Sometimes a price cut isn't such a bargain after all. 
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