MARKET CURRENTS
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MARKET CURRENTS
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Wednesday, June 19
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7:58 PM Ebix's (EBIX) merger agreement with a Goldman Sachs affiliate has been terminated. The termination is the result of Ebix's receipt of a letter from a U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia stating it has "opened an investigation into allegations of intentional misconduct" found in recent shareholder class action suits against Ebix. The letter follows an SEC investigation into Ebix's accounting launched earlier this year. EBIX -25% AH. SA contributor Gotham City Research has been quite critical of Ebix's accounting for some time. 2 Comments
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7:28 PM EMC is buying Israeli storage software startup ScaleIO for $200M-$300M, TechCrunch and Geektime report. ScaleIO's software allows storage found inside servers to be pooled and managed like storage arrays on a SAN. This can lead to both cost savings and (esp. when flash memory is used) performance gains. Acquiring ScaleIO would be the latest in a string of moves from EMC to lower its traditional focus on array sales. Last month, EMC announced ViPR, a software platform for managing storage hardware/services from both EMC and rivals, and in March, the company showed off new server flash cards and caching software. Comment!
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6:41 PM Apple (AAPL) roundup: 1) Apple TV has received a software update that adds support for HBO GO, WatchESPN, and 3 other sources. iTunes Radio will arrive this fall. 2) Apple patent chief Boris Teksler has left to join France's Technicolor. 3) Apple has won a $30M contract to supply iPads for L.A. schools; iPad education sales have been a priority for Apple. 4) After using iOS 7 for a week, BGR's Zach Epstein offers a critical take that doesn't revolve around icons. "Apple’s mobile platform just isn’t getting any smarter ... What meaningful, innovative functions can iOS 7 perform that iOS 6 could not?" Dan Frommer, another early user, isn't as harsh, but offers a similar take. "The big-picture reality is that iOS 7 really isn’t very different." 12 Comments
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6:17 PM Some S&P 600 changes: CalAmp (CAMP) is replacing Palomar Medical as of the June 24 close, WageWorks (WAGE) is replacing National Financial Partners as of the June 25 close, and Associated Estates (AEC) is replacing Websense as of the June 25 close. Palomar, NFP, and Websense are all being acquired.camp. CAMP +1.5% AH. WAGE +1.5%. AEC +3%. Comment!
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6:12 PM InvenSense (INVN -1%) is "likely shut out of the iPhone opportunity this year," says Maxim's Ashok Kumar, countering several reports claiming the opposite. Kumar, who's still reiterating a Buy, says checks point to the iPhone 5S using most of the components found in the iPhone 5, which suggests current motion sensor suppliers STMicroelectronics (STM) and AKM won't be kicked out. However, he adds checks do point to a next-gen Nexus 7 design win for InvenSense, and considers a next-gen iPad Mini win possible. InvenSense only fell in line with the market today, which suggests investors (like many of Kumar's peers) are still expecting a 5S win. 1 Comment
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5:57 PM Micron (MU) -2.1% AH in spite of its FQ1 beat, as investors take profits following a 120% YTD run-up. DRAM sales +23% Q/Q in FQ1, thanks to a 16% ASP increase and 6% volume growth. NAND flash sales +7%, largely due to an 8% increase in trade NAND ASPs. The ASP gains led gross margin to jump 600 bps Q/Q and 1300 bps Y/Y to 24%. Capex was $235M (10% of revenue), and free cash flow was $389M, a big improvement from FQ4's $78M and a reversal from the cash burn reported in many recent quarters. RBC notes DRAM sales were better than expected, but adds NAND shipments were light. SanDisk (SNDK) +0.8%. 5 Comments
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5:39 PM Red Hat (RHT) guides on its FQ1 call for FQ2 EPS of $0.32-$0.33 and FY13 EPS of $1.31-$1.35, in-line with Street estimates of $0.33 and $1.34 and better than feared. Aided by strong demand from telco and cloud customers, FQ1 billings rose 14% Y/Y, a solid improvement from the 9% FQ4 growth that had disappointed some investors. Deferred revenue balance -3% Q/Q and +16% Y/Y to $1.06B, and $179M was spent on buybacks. Shares +3.9% AH, thanks in part to low expectations. (PR) (yesterday) Comment!
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5:20 PM In tandem with its FQ3 results, Jabil (JBL) is announcing a restructuring. The contract manufacturer plans to cut an undisclosed number of jobs, and record $188M in charges (cash charges will total $140M). FQ4 guidance is for revenue of $4.55B-$4.65B and EPS of $0.50-$0.58, below a consensus of $4.59B and $0.60. Jabil sees its High Velocity manufacturing sales rising 15% Y/Y in FQ4, and its Diversified Manufacturing and Enterprise & Infrastructure sales holding steady. Shares -0.3% AH. (PR) 1 Comment
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5:05 PM Microsoft (MSFT) does an about-face, dropping the Xbox One's Internet verification requirements and all of its used game restrictions. GameStop (GME) investors are very pleased, shares +7.8% AH. Microsoft's change-of-heart follows a major backlash from gamers (they were far from appeased by Redmond's initial response), and plenty of gamer enthusiasm being shown for the PlayStation 4 (SNE), both due to its lack of similar restrictions and its lower price. 11 Comments
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4:56 PM Zynga (ZNGA) strengthens its real-money and "social" gambling push by acquiring Spooky Cool Labs, a 40-person startup containing a number of online gambling industry vets. In spite of its pedigree, Spooky recently shifted its attention to developing Facebook and iOS games based on The Wizard of Oz. Its Chicago team will collaborate with Zynga's San Francisco social gaming team, which is responsible for Zynga Poker. (earlier) (Zynga layoffs) Comment!
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4:41 PM Stratasys (SSYS) is acquiring desktop 3D printing upstart MakerBot in an all-stock deal that has an initial value of $403M (based on Stratasys' Wednesday close), but which could reach $604M via performance incentives. MakerBot, which has sold 22K+ printers since '09 (11K Replicator 2 units in the last 9 months) and had Q1 revenue of $11.5M, will operate as an independent unit. The deal is expected to be slightly dilutive to 2013 EPS, and accretive by the end of 2014. The companies estimate 35K-40K desktop 3D printers were sold in 2012, and see the market doubling this year. CC at 7AM ET tomorrow (webcast). SSYS +1.7% AH. (previous) 1 Comment
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4:28 PM Finisar (FNSR) +8.9% AH following its FQ4 beat. FQ1 guidance is for revenue of revenue of $245M-$260M and EPS of $0.22-$0.26, mostly above a consensus of $248.9M and $0.20. A 150 bps Q/Q increase in gross margin to 32.2%, caused by a favorable mix, contributed to the EPS beat. Finisar says it's seeing strong demand for 10G/100G Ethernet components for datacom gear - 10G is being rapidly adopted in data centers, and some firms are starting to embrace 100G. Opex +4% Y/Y. a little above rev. growth of 2%. JDSU +3%, NPTN +4.3%, and CIEN +1% in sympathy. FN, OCLR, and OPLK could also rally. CC at 5PM ET (webcast). (PR) Comment!
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4:14 PM Nokia (NOK) +2.6% AH after the WSJ reports Microsoft (MSFT) held advanced talks to buy Nokia's phone business, and was "close to an oral agreement" at one point, but adds discussions broke down in part due to price and concerns about Nokia's competitive positioning. One source says the talks "took place as recently as this month, but aren't likely to be revived." 32 Comments
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4:05 PM Micron (MU): Q1 EPS of $0.04 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $2.3B beats by $0.06B. Shares -1% AH. (PR) 4 Comments
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4:03 PM "Nothing has changed regarding the financing ... We expect to have [$5.2B] in the next couple of weeks ... I would provide [$2B], if necessary." Thus speaks Carl Icahn, addressing reports he's struggling to line up financing for his Dell (DELL -0.6%) bid and making a case for his new $14/share tender offer. Unsurprisingly, Dell's special committee isn't enthusiastic about the tender, and says it's still waiting on requested info about Icahn's leveraged recap proposal. Some think Icahn's real motivation is getting Michael Dell/Silver Lake to sweeten their offer. "Icahn is historically known for looking for dislocations," observes one Dell shareholder. 1 Comment
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2:48 PM William Blair's Brian Drab provides a fairly positive take on 3D Systems' (DDD -2.4%) recent analyst day, but nonetheless reiterates an Underperform on account of valuation. Drab observes 3D's management talked up the expansion of its healthcare offerings (specialized/personalized products) and Quickparts on-demand parts service (new markets/geographies), and hinted price points for Cube desktop printers could fall below $1K and (in 12-18 months) $500. But with shares trading at 46x 2013E EPS, Drab considers expectations too high. (analyst day slides) 5 Comments
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2:31 PM Verizon (VZ) broadband subs are complaining about receiving low-quality Netflix (NFLX) streams, and the culprit appears to be Verizon's unwillingness to upgrade its network to handle more Netflix traffic from fellow carrier and Netflix bandwidth supplier Cogent (CCOI). The dispute drives home the thorny relationships Netflix, which now makes up ~1/3 of U.S. Web traffic during peak hours, has with many ISPs, in spite of its efforts to relieve congestion via its Open Connect CDN (some ISPs are on board, some aren't). In Verizon's case, the carrier's efforts to compete with Netflix via its Redbox Instant JV could also be a factor. 2 Comments
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2:01 PM Ahead of Micron's (MU +0.4%) afternoon FQ3 report, Charles Kau, the chairman of Micron's Inotera JV, predicts the current DRAM shortage will last through 2015, thanks to controlled expansion and surging mobile DRAM usage. Kau expects DRAM demand to outstrip supply by 3% in 2013, 5%, in 2014, and 7% in 2015. Those numbers back up recent comments from Credit Suisse, which declared the DRAM industry is seeing structural improvements following a wave of consolidation around Micron, Samsung (SSNLF.PK), and SK Hynix. Analyst commentary on Micron has been very positive going into earnings, but a lot of good news has been priced in. 1 Comment
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1:36 PM Though high-end Lumia models such as the 920, 925, and (expected) EOS get most of the ink, the low-end 520 could be the biggest seller in Nokia's (NOK -0.3%) Windows Phone lineup. Google Trends data points to surging interest in the 520, which features a 4" display, lacks 4G support, and is dirt cheap - Wal-Mart sells the 521, a variant working on T-Mobile's network, for an unsubsidized $130 .... if it's in stock. Also, the 520 is now #2 in GSM Arena's daily interest rankings, behind only the Galaxy S4; no other Nokia phone is in the top-10. 11 Comments
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1:15 PM While Amazon plots a big expansion of its U.S. grocery delivery business, eBay's (EBAY) Indian site has begun selling food/grocery items through a section called eBay Daily. 1,600 products, generally packaged goods, are available for sale. eBay's move comes a couple months after it led a $50M funding round for local e-commerce marketplace Snapdeal, and a year after it announced plans to invest heavily in the Indian market, where e-commerce penetration is still low and Amazon (AMZN), which just launched an Indian marketplace site, has been slowed by foreign investment rules. 2 Comments
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12:55 PM Though a new Congressional bill proposes to legalize and regulate online gambling across the U.S., online gambling proponents remain skeptical the bill will end the industry's legal battle. Casinos, tribes, state lotteries, and other interest groups are still fighting for special rights, ideological opposition remains, and the bill features an opt-out provision for individual states and tribes. On the other hand, public support for legalization has been growing, and Nevada and New Jersey's moves have led other states to worry about being left out. ZNGA and GLUU are both waiting for the chance to expand their online gambling efforts from the U.K. to the U.S. (I, II). Comment!
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12:24 PM Google (GOOG +0.1%) steps up its challenge to Yelp (YELP +2.3%) by showing an interactive "carousel" of businesses when PC searches are made for local info. The update follows the launch of a carousel for tablet users in December, and the January addition of Zagat listings to the Google Places API. Meanwhile, CLSA has raised its PT for Google to $1,100, even though Q2 data from search marketing firm Performics has been mixed, with Y/Y spending growth falling to 4.5% from 12.4% thanks partly to tough comps. Mobile now makes up 36% of Performics' tracked U.S. paid clicks, but only 13.5% of ad spend, due to lower prices. CLSA is confident Enhanced Campaigns will help narrow the gap. 1 Comment
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11:55 AM LG Display (LPL -0.9%) expects to mass-produce a flexible OLED panel for major smartphone clients in Q4. 38% shareholder LG Electronics is likely one of those clients - the company has already said to plans to sell a flexible OLED phone by year's end. Samsung was at one point expected to use a flexible OLED in its upcoming Galaxy Note III, but is believed to have changed its mind due to production issues. Universal Display (PANL -2.1%) is hoping the technology takes off sooner rather than later. (Samsung demo) Comment!
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11:33 AM Telecom Italia (TI -3.3%) should be able to reach a deal with Italian telecom regulator AGCOM for its planned wireline spinoff by early 2014, says chairman Franco Bernabe. TI is believed to be hatching plans to sell a 30% stake in the unit, which has an estimated value of $17B-$20B, to a state-backed fund. Comment!
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11:20 AM The Street reacts favorably to Nvidia's (NVDA +7.3%) decision to license its GPU cores and related IP to other mobile processor developers, rather than simply pin its mobile hopes on Tegra sales. "If there was ever a way for Nvidia to get into Apple, the IP licensing angle is likely it," says Raymond James, which thinks the move could also limit traction for ARM's (ARMH -0.8%) Mali GPU cores. Evercore is less optimistic about Apple, stating checks point to "significant internal GPU design efforts" at the company. It views Samsung as a possibility, but adds the Korean electronics giant is "cycling through IP vendors and chip suppliers." 3 Comments
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11:09 AM ReneSola (SOL +4.9%) spikes higher after SA contributor Sneha Shah argues a low cost structure and diminishing competition in the solar wafer and polysilicon markets will allow the company to keep gaining share (it recently passed LDK to be the world's #2 wafer vendor), and that shares are due to rally after underperforming Chinese peers with stronger Japanese exposure. Shah also sees gross margin bottoming - it's expected to rise to 3%-5% in Q2 after coming in at -2% in Q1 - and predicts ReneSola will become a top-10 module supplier in 2013, with a 4%-5% share. 12% of the float was shorted as of May 31. Comment!
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10:56 AM Mark Zuckerberg (FB) asked Samsung (SSNLF.PK) to build a "Facebook-friendly" phone during his visit, but Samsung is cool to the idea, The Korea Herald reports. "Samsung doesn’t want to help nurture a second Google," says one source. The fact the HTC First (comes with Facebook Home built-in) hasn't exactly been a smash hit might also influence Samsung's thinking. Comment!
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10:23 AM BofA/Merrill upgrades Adobe (ADBE +6.1%) to Buy in the wake of its FQ2 EPS beat and strong Creative Cloud adds: the firm is upbeat about CC into 2015, and sees Adobe converting much of its Creative Suite base. Jefferies notes CC net adds of 221K beat a consensus of ~185K. Mentioned on the earnings call: the majority of paid CC subs are individual members; Adobe is evaluating new options for CC pricing (previous); "targeted promotions" could hurt CC ARPU in the near-term; and Adobe thinks its infrastructure and analytics tools will allow Marketing Cloud to remain differentiated in the face of new competition. Ad software rival Marketo (MKTO +10.1%) is in sympathy. Comment!
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9:56 AM Macquarie's Kevin Smithen downgrades Sprint (S -3.5%) to Neutral after Dish decides to pass on making a new bid for the #3 U.S. mobile carrier before a Tuesday deadline. In addition to the lack of a counterbid, Smithen is worried about the unresolved battle over Clearwire, and the fact Sprint is about to enter a period of heavy spending and negative free cash flow. 1 Comment
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9:46 AM UniPixel (UNXL +5.3%) jumps out of the gate after announcing it has finished building out a 7.5K-square foot Texas office and wet lab facility that will support its UniBoss touch sensor manufacturing ramp. The company adds its employee count is up to 32, and that a motion for summary judgment in its breach of contract dispute with CIT is currently pending. Shares have been mostly treading water in June after crashing in May. 8 Comments
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9:32 AM LinkedIn (LNKD) could be the latest social networking platform to receive tight iOS integration: code found in the first iOS 7 beta release suggest Apple is testing a single sign-on system for LinkedIn, similar to what it already provides for Facebook and Twitter. 9to5 Mac points out Apple began testing Facebook integration with versions of iOS 4, but the feature didn't arrive until iOS 6. Comment!
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9:26 AM Ubiquiti (UBNT) +2.5% after JMP starts coverage with an Outperform and $21 PT. BofA/Merrill started coverage with a Buy two days ago. Though short interest has been gradually declining over the last 10 months, 17% of the float was still shorted as of May 31. Comment!
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9:16 AM Google (GOOG) is open to forging alliances with P-E firms to make acquisitions, says M&A chief Don Harrison, who hints additional major deals are being considered in the wake of Waze. Harrison also expounds on Google's broader M&A strategy: "We apply something called the toothbrush test ... Is this something people use once or twice a day and does it solve a problem?" Meanwhile, law prof. Steven Davidoff reports Google skipped providing an antitrust review filing for Waze to the DOJ and FTC by using an exemption for foreign companies with less than $60.9M in U.S. sales/assets. Comment!
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8:11 AM BlackBerry (BBRY) slips 3% premarket after a downgrade to Sell at Bernstein, which sees earnings peaking in FQ1 and "significant risk" of a miss in H2. OTR Global says U.K. Q10 sales fell off a cliff and have been - "not a typo" - just 30K-50K units since launch, reports Notable Calls. 89 Comments
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8:10 AM BT Group (BT -3.1%) CEO Ian Livingston will leave the company in September to become the Minister of State for Trade & Investment in the U.K. government. Livingston will be replaced by Gavin Patterson, who has led BT Retail and served as a BT Board member since 2008. (PR) Comment!
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6:03 AM Liberty Global (LBTYA) is reportedly offering assets rather than cash in its €7.5B bid for Kabel Deutschland (KBDHY.OB) and would keep the latter's stock-market listing. The structure of the proposal is designed to assuage anti-trust concerns, as Liberty already owns Unitymedia, Germany’s second-largest cable operator. Liberty wouldn't have majority ownership of the combined entity at the holding company level, although it would have much influence. Comment!
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4:34 AM Verizon (VZ) is interested in acquiring Canadian peer Wind Mobile, the U.S company has said. Verizon has reportedly held talks for Wind, which is a relatively new entry into the Canadian market and is struggling. VimpelCom (VIP), Wind's largest owner, wants around $500M, although Verizon may then have to pump in another $1-2B for spectrum purchases, network upgrades and consolidation costs. RBC analyst Drew McReynolds is not sure the deal makes sense. 7 Comments
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3:28 AM As broadly expected, Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) intends to cut costs by €1B and sell another €1B of assets within two years as it looks to become cash-flow positive by 2015, at which point the telecom-equipment company will look to slash its debt by €2B by selling shares or through further asset sales. The changes are part of a recovery program called the "Shift Plan," which also includes Alcatel-Lucent focusing on IP networking and ultra-broadband access. Alcatel-Lucent is hiring a COO as well, while CFO Paul Tufano will leave. Shares are +6.7% in Paris. (PR) 11 Comments
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1:55 AM Facebook (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg has discussed potential partnerships with Samsung (SSNLF.PK) President Shin Jong Kyun as the U.S. company looks to boost advertising sales on mobile devices. The firms already seem to have a decent relationship, with Samsung being among the first device makers to feature Facebook's Home software on its handsets. Meanwhile, Facebook intends to invest more in Korea and serve as a platform for startups. 4 Comments
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