The next earnings season is only a few weeks away. A number of companies have racked up important questions since their last report, and I’m looking forward to their upcoming updates. Here’s a smattering of the most important, or intriguing, questions that I’m hoping to see answered fairly soon, culled from my regular tech sector beat
Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) BlackBerry tops the list for me. The company formerly known as Research In Motion will report its first quarter, where its brand new Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) BlackBerry 10 platform can make a meaningful impact on results. Fans of the company like to argue that the Z10 and Q10 handsets are selling like hotcakes, and some market reports will reinforce that opinion. Then again, other reports and analyst deep-dives into the handset flows come up with exactly the opposite conclusion.
Selling a ton of Z10 and Q10 smartphones is not an optional little bonus for Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) BlackBerry. This is a do-or-die, make-or-break situation, and the company is in real trouble if these products don’t perform. CEO Thorsten Heins expects to sell “tens of millions” of his new devices in 2013, including about 3.5 million in the May quarter.
I’m a skeptic, and would be very surprised to see Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) BlackBerry’s shares ever above January’s $17.90 highs ever again. This is where the Canadians might get to prove me wrong.
Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) BlackBerry even gets the party started early by reporting on June 28, which is about three weeks before the real bulk action begins in mid-July.
Tibco Software Inc. (NASDAQ:TIBX) also reports in the lull between big-volume earnings seasons, and is expected to drop a second-quarter update on June 20. This is a stock that I own, but Tibco Software Inc. (NASDAQ:TIBX) has not been a smooth operator in recent quarters. I’d love to see an end to this rocky road.
It’s been about a year since Tibco Software Inc. (NASDAQ:TIBX) cut loose its head of North American sales, and announced a major reorganization of that division. And we’re still waiting for a turnaround to this “disappointing” operation, in CEO Vivek Ranadive’s own words. In the March report, CFO Murray Rhode once again told us that all is not well: “The Americas infrastructure business is clearly not back on track quite yet, but we have made and continue to make good progress against our plans,” he said.
The next day, Tibco Software Inc. (NASDAQ:TIBX) shares were suddenly 9.4% cheaper. The stock is still trading near 52-week and multi-year lows. If you bought Tibco near the end of 2010, you could have a break-even performance on your hands right now. Hardly exciting, and not what you’d expect out of a pioneer and leader in the booming market for Big Data specialists.
I’m hoping for a bad chapter in Tibco Software Inc. (NASDAQ:TIBX)’s history to be closed this month. Every quarter of underperforming sales teams leaves another few million of potential sales on the table.
And, of course, I’m on pins and needles for the next Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) report. The digital video veteran reports second-quarter results on July 24, in the thick of the real earnings season, and there are plenty of questions to address.
