Note: Related tickers: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK), Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), LDK Solar Co., Ltd (NYSE:LDK), Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE:AMD), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) hard-targeting Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) OS (WallStreetPR)
The mobile war is a never-ending one. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) (Closed: $28.97, Up by 0.98%)’s Terry Myerson, has said that the Windows Phone OS has a chance to attract Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (Closed $793.37, Up by: 1.46%) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) (Closed: $426.24, Up by 1.52%) users. Myerson is vice president of the Windows Phone division and feels that the Windows Phone offers a seamless and exciting experience in comparison to its rivals. He called the Apple interface “boring” and said that the icons that are placed at the bottom of the screen offer very little flexibility or information. He also went on to tagging the Google Android system a “mess” and said that there were just too many versions floating around in the market. A long way to go… Microsoft has been trying very hard to find a foothold in the smartphone market with its Windows phone and is seeking to take advantage of the growing demand for these devices.
Microsoft Corporation: Can Google, Inc.’s Vic Gundotra Succeed Steve Ballmer? (iStockAnalyst)
The CEO succession rumors for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) intensified after its much-hyped Windows 8 is said to be curtailing the PC market instead of reviving it. As the Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft reports its quarterly numbers on April 18, investors may look for any comments over the succession plans. Analysts have speculated several names who could succeed Steve Ballmer and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Vic Gundotra is one among them. Time for a little background on why Microsoft needs a CEO change. Microsoft’s Bing continues to be a distant second in queries, with a market share of about 12 to 15 percent.
Microsoft Corporation : Malware Infections 5.5 Times More Likely Without Antivirus Software, Finds New Research From Microsoft (4-Traders)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) today released the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report volume 14 (SIRv14). In addition to analyzing prevalent threats from across the globe, the data revealed an important trend related to antivirus software (Antivirus). The study showed 2.5 out of 10 computers on average do not use up-to-date Antivirus. The report shows that without this vital protection layer, computers are 5.5 times more likely to be infected with malware. Antivirus helps guard against viruses, remove infections and protect people’s privacy. “People intuitively understand the importance of locking their front doors to prevent their homes from being broken into. Computer security is no different. Surfing the Internet without up-to-date Antivirus is like leaving your front door open to criminals,” said Tim Rains, director, Trustworthy Computing, Microsoft. “With the release of this new research, Microsoft is urging people to make sure they have up-to-date Antivirus installed on their computers.”
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) signs mobile device patents with Hon Hai Industries (CrazyJoys)
Recent media reports just revealed that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has signed a global patent license agreement with Hon Hai Precision Industries which will be able to deliver coverage under Microsoft patent portfolio for devices including smartphones, tablets and also that are using Chrome or Android operating systems. Under the current agreement Microsoft will have a stance at the receiving end of royalties from Hon Hai. The detailed contents of the agreement are still confidential. Hon Hai is the parent company of Foxconn, a contract manufacturer for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and other high tech giants. With this development Hon Hai is making significant place among growing contract manufacturers around the world that have something to do with Chrome and Android patent licenses. Microsoft is the renowned software manufacturer and produces big titles including Microsoft Office, Windows and hardware like Kinect and Xbox.
Microsoft focuses on SA (News24)
Microsoft sees Africa in general and South Africa in particular, as a key market for adoption of the company’s software. “We actually think it’s important to bring tier one, globally powerful computing experience to the African continent,” Fred Baumhardt, chief technology officer for Microsoft told News24. Microsoft said that it was demonstrable that the South African market was important to the company in that SA was included in the first group of countries to be included in the launch of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. “With the Windows 8 launch, South Africa was one of 22 countries to get the Windows launch,” said Colin Erasmus, Windows lead for Microsoft.
Microsoft testing smart watch prototype with a Surface connector (NDTV)
Microsoft’s purported smart watch is in prototype stage if a new report is to be believed. According to The Verge, Microsoft has been working on a wearable smart device for more than a year. The website cites a source close to the development to report that the teams who have worked on Xbox accessories and on the Kinect sensor have been involved with the development of the device. It adds that the smart watch prototype features removable bands attached to its 1.5-inch touch display, and includes a five-pin magnetic power connector that can transmit both power and data, which is also found on Microsoft’s Surface tablets. However, the connector might not make it to the final device.
Nokia sales tumble overshadows Lumia pick-up (Reuters)
A sharp fall in sales of Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK)‘s basic phones overshadowed a stronger performance from its Lumia smartphones in the first quarter, sending its shares tumbling. The results renewed pressure on Chief Executive Stephen Elop, who was hired in 2010 to turn the Finnish mobile phone maker around after falling behind rivals Samsung and Apple in the smartphone race. He made the controversial decision to switch to Microsoft’s untried Windows Phone software in early 2011 and had said the transition would take two years, a period that’s now over. Analysts said he was running out of time. “Basically, he has only the second quarter,” said Mikko Ervasti at Finnish investment banking and wealth management group Evli.
Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) Failed To Impress Investors, Share Crashes (CogoNews)
The shares of Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) crashed 10% in pre-market session as the company The Finland-based company expects to trim its operating margin, overshadowed a solid performance from the company’s latest innovation of Lumia. Also, putting further pressure on the stock is an unexpected slump in top line at its previously upbeat equipment venture Nokia Siemens Networks. The company sold 5.60 million units of Lumia handsets in the first quarter, up from 4.4 million in the prior quarter and matched analysts’ expectations. While the overall sales slumped 20% to 5.9 billion euros from a year earlier as phone volumes plunged 30% to 5.8 billion euros on the previous quarter.
Nokia cuts first-quarter loss thanks to cost cuts, but sales tumble in strong competition (WashingtonPost)
Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) continues to take a hammering in the smartphone market, with sales for the handset maker falling by 20 percent in the first three months of the year. Although the Finland-based company managed to reduce its first-quarter net loss to 272 million euros ($357 million) from a loss of 928 million euros a year earlier, mainly thanks to cost cutting, net revenue dropped to 5.8 billion euros from 7.4 billion euros in the same period last year. Mobile phone sales volumes fell across the globe — especially in China which saw a 60 percent drop. Sales of smartphone devices dropped 32 percent globally to 1.1 billion euros.
Lumia handset sales rise puts Nokia back in the smartphone race (Guardian)
Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) appears to be edging back into the smartphone race, after reporting a 27% rise in sales of the Lumia touch screen handsets on which chief executive Stephen Elop has staked the future of the company. Despite competition from the latest Apple phone, Lumia shipments reached 5.6m in the first quarter of this year, and Nokia is forecasting they will rise as much again in the June quarter, reaching over 7m. This would leave Finnish manufacturer with the beginnings of a sustainable smartphone business, although still some way behind the 37m iPhones analysts estimate Apple has sold this year and Samsung’s 62m shipments.
Nokia Loss Narrows (WSJ)
Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) -8.88% posted a narrowed first-quarter loss due to cost cuts and an improved performance from its networks business, but rising competition at the low end of the cellphone market put pressure on shipments of the company’s basic devices and led to a sharp decline in revenue. The Finnish company on Thursday reported healthy demand for its closely watched Lumia smartphone lineup, which operates on Microsoft Corp.’s MSFT -0.71% Windows software, representing an important step for Chief Executive Stephen Elop. Nokia shipped 5.6 million Lumias in the quarter.
Morgan Stanley reports lower earnings, revenue, but beats Wall Street’s expectations (WashingtonPost)
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)’s profit and revenue dipped in the first quarter. Results beat Wall Street’s expectations, but the stock still dipped in pre-market trading. Quarterly revenue from the investment bank slipped, while revenue from wealth management rose. Earnings totaled $1.2 billion, down about 12 percent from a year earlier. Per share, those earnings amounted to 61 cents, beating the 57 cents expected by analysts polled by FactSet. Revenue totaled $8.5 billion. That was down 5 percent from a year earlier, but it beat analysts’ expectations of $8.3 billion.
Morgan Stanley Beats Expectations But Bond Unit Weighs on Earnings (WSJ)
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) saw its core results weaken from last year, but exceed Wall Street expectations. Revenue from bond trading slid. The investment bank swung to a first-quarter profit as it benefited from a comparison with a year-earlier period that was bogged down by a heavy accounting charge. Morgan Stanley reported a first-quarter profit of $984 million, compared with a year-earlier loss of $94 million. The per-share profit, which reflects the payment of preferred dividends, was 49 cents compared with a loss of six cents a year earlier. Stripping out the impact of debt-valuation changes, the per-share profit was 61 cents…
Morgan Stanley Core Results Slip (WSJ)
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) -3.73%saw core earnings weaken from a year ago in its first quarter. For the quarter, the bank reported a profit of $984 million, or 49 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $94 million, or 6 cents a share, a year earlier. But excluding accounting charges tied to the value of its debt, Morgan Stanley’s earnings from continuing operations fell to $1.2 billion from $1.3 billion a year earlier and revenue slid to $8.5 billion from $8.9 billion. The latest period included a $317 million impact tied to changes in the value of Morgan Stanley’s debt, while the year-earlier period included a $2 billion impact. Banks have to take an accounting charge when the price of their own bonds rises.
Morgan Stanley Trims Investment Bank’s Compensation Pool 14% (Bloomberg)
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), owner of the world’s biggest brokerage, set aside $1.89 billion to pay employees at its investment-banking and trading division in the first quarter, 14 percent less than a year earlier. Compensation at the institutional-securities unit, which includes salaries, bonuses and the cost of previous deferred awards, equaled 43 percent of adjusted revenue, little changed from a year earlier, according to figures posted today on the New York-based firm’s website. The drop was “in part driven by lower headcount,” the company said in a statement. While the firm doesn’t report how many people are employed within the division, its total number of employees fell 6.6 percent from a year earlier.
Morgan Stanley posts $958 million profit as wealth management grows (Reuters)
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reported a stronger-than-expected first-quarter profit of $958 million, compared with a year-earlier loss of $119 million, as its wealth management business grew. The sixth-largest U.S. bank by assets said on Thursday it earned 49 cents per share on a consolidated basis in the first three months of the year, compared with a loss of 6 cents per share a year earlier. Excluding a charge related to debt value adjustment (DVA), or changes in the value of the company’s debt, Morgan Stanley earned $1.2 billion, or 61 cents per share.
LDK Solar Fourth Quarter Profits Misses/Beats Estimates (BusinessWeek)
LDK Solar Co., Ltd (NYSE:LDK), the Chinese manufacturer that must repay $240 million in financing in June, said its cash on hand fell to the lowest in more than three years as its shipments dropped. The second-biggest maker of wafers used in solar panels said it had $98.3 million in cash at the end of the fourth quarter, the least since the third quarter of 2009. It reported its seventh consecutive quarterly loss and shipments in the period were at the lowest since at least 2011.
LDK Solar Co reports seventh straight quarterly loss (GulfNews)
Chinese solar panel maker LDK Solar Co., Ltd (NYSE:LDK), which partially defaulted on a bond payment this week, reported on Thursday its seventh straight quarterly loss as it struggles to meet looming debt payments of more than $3 billion (Dh11.02 billion). The company said it would focus on emerging solar markets in China, Africa, India and the United States, but warned that demand for solar panels would remain weak in the near term. Like many of its domestic rivals, LDK ran up huge debts to expand manufacturing capacity before being hit by the Eurozone crisis that triggered a collapse in demand for solar panels.
China’s LDK Solar Misses $23.8M Bond Payment (MBTMag)
LDK Solar Co., Ltd (NYSE:LDK) said Tuesday that it failed to make a $23.8 million bond payment this week because of a “temporary cash-flow shortage” but negotiated to delay some of the obligation. Payment on the 4.75 percent convertible notes was due Monday. LDK said it agreed with two bondholders to delay $16.6 million in payments. The company said it was “ready and willing to discuss and reach a settlement for the remaining convertible notes.” In afternoon trading LDK shares fell 5 cents, or 4.5 percent, to $1.07. They have fallen 25 percent this year. The stock traded at more than $70 in late 2007. LDK’s announcement came a month after another Chinese solar equipment maker, Suntech Power Holdings Co., defaulted on $541 million in bond payments.
LDK Solar reports $517M loss in fiscal 4Q (BusinessWeek)
LDK Solar Co., Ltd (NYSE:LDK), which defaulted on a bond payment earlier this week, reported a $517 million loss in its fiscal fourth quarter as sales fell sharply. The Chinese company said it was hurt by ongoing poor conditions in the solar industry, including overcapacity that has pushed prices lower. Solar subsidies have been slashed in Europe, hurting demand in that big market. LDK said it would focus on emerging markets in China, Africa, India and the U.S., and on cutting production costs. In premarket trading LDK shares fell 14 cents, or 13 percent, to 94 cents.
Advanced Micro Devices Earnings: Your Sneak Peek to the Big Announcement (WallStCheatSheet)
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE:AMD) will report earnings after markets close on Thursday, April 18th. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. manufactures semiconductor products. The Company manufactures products that include microprocessors, embedded microprocessors, chipsets, graphics, video and multimedia products. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. offers its products on a global basis. Here is your Cheat Sheet to Advanced Micro Devices Earnings: Earnings Expectations: Analysts expect earnings of $-0.17 per share on revenues of $1.05 billion. …Analysts have a more negative outlook for the company’s next-quarter performance. Over the past three months, the average estimate for next quarter’s earnings has fallen from a loss of $0.11 to a loss $0.12. For the current year, the average estimate is a loss of $0.32, which is worse than the estimate ninety days ago.
Advanced Micro Devices Price Target Cut to $2.75 (AMD) (MideastTime)
Analysts at Wedbush lowered their price target on shares of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE:AMD) from $3.00 to $2.75 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Analyst Ratings Network.com reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Analysts at Deutsche Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Advanced Micro Devices in a research note to investors on Tuesday. They now have a $2.50 price target on the stock. Separately, analysts at Evercore Partners reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Advanced Micro Devices in a research note to investors on Monday. They now have a $2.00 price target on the stock. Finally, analysts at Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Advanced Micro Devices in a research note to investors on Thursday, April 11th. They now have a $3.00 price target on the stock.
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE:AMD) beats NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) with powerful hardware (CrazyJoys)
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE:AMD) is eager to grab much attention and that is the reason the company is vigorously playing against rivals like NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA). AMD has recently launched its HD 7000 graphics series that directly ambushed NVIDIA’s GK 104 and GeForce 600 line of products. Another hammer on NVIDIA’s head is that Radeon 7970 is capable of 550 M Hash per second while the NVIDIA GTX is only half as fast. The better performance in AMD hardware is due to having more shader cores than the identical NVIDIA graphics cards. One of the reasons AMD cards perform well at mining is that its GPUs have a number of features that boost their integer performance.
