Tag Archives: technology

Forget The Apple iPhone SE, The Samsung S7 Is A Big-Screen Hit

Samsung Electronics reported better-than-expected preliminary first-quarter earnings as its latest flagship smartphone proved much more successful than its predecessor, even as  Apple ( AAPL ) is expected to report its first iPhone sales decline ever. The South Korean electronics giant had operating income of 6.6 trillion won ($5.7 billion), far above analyst estimates for about 5.5 trillion won. Revenue was 49 trillion won, up 4% and slightly above estimates. Samsung released its S7 smartphones in March, a month earlier than its S6 line in 2015. Nine million S7 phones were sold in their first month, triple what the S6 did in its first month. The S7 has a better camera and microSD storage support. Samsung also didn’t run into supply shortages of curved-glass screens for the jumbo S7 Edge, unlike last year’s Edge. Due to the S7 and an improved, streamlined phone product lineup overall, the smartphone business was likely the company’s best division in several quarters. Meanwhile chip operating profit likely fell about 15%. A cheaper won vs. the dollar also bolstered results. Meanwhile, the Apple iPhone 6S has not been a blockbuster, despite technical improvements vs. the 6 line. Apple revenue and iPhone unit sales likely fell in the first three months of the year vs. early 2015. Late last month, Apple began selling the iPhone SE, a new 4-inch phone. It fills out Apple’s product line, especially in emerging markets, but it early sales don’t appear to be huge and its margins are likely smaller than the flagship smartphone. Apple rose 1.05% to 110.96 on the stock market today, just below its 200-day line. Apple hasn’t closed above that level since Nov. 4.

Tesla Model 3 Reservations Count Ahead; Stock Hits 7-Month High

Loading the player…   Rising nearly 4% Wednesday, Tesla Motors ( TSLA ) stock has reached its highest since September, ahead of a first-week Model 3 reservations update that was expected from CEO Elon Musk later in the day, but put off till early Thursday. @FreshDialogues will have the full week's number early tomorrow morning — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2016 Musk said on Twitter Wednesday night “will have the full week’s number early tomorrow morning.” He’d said over the weekend that the $1,000 refundable preorder deposits for the $35,000 car reached 276,000 Saturday — far above analysts’ expectations and Tesla’s own. Will give an update tonight for the 3 day total, then last one on Wed for the full week. All efforts focused on accelerating the ramp. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2016 Tesla Motors Stock Analysis Tesla stock lifted 3.9% in the stock market  Wednesday, closing at 265.42. Shares also rose more than 3% in each of the prior three trading days that followed Thursday’s unveiling of the electric Model 3, a mass-market vehicle expected to compete with gas-powered cars like BMW’s 3 Series and similarly priced ones from Volkswagen ’s ( VLKAY ) Audi, Daimler ’s ( DDAIF ) Mercedes-Benz and Toyota ’s ( TM ) Lexus, as well as electrics like General Motors ‘ ( GM ) Chevrolet Bolt. The stock is building the right side of a very long, deep base and is not in buy range.  But Tesla’s IBD Composite Rating has now risen to 72 out of a possible 99. The CR factors in its earnings and loss history, stock moves and more. Can Tesla Build Model 3 After Model X Miss? This week, Tesla missed its Q1 car unit sales expectations. So, can Tesla build all those Model 3s in light of its difficulty getting out just shy of 15,000 cars last quarter? The company said Monday that “severe Model X supplier parts shortages” of just a few parts were due partly to its own “hubris in adding far too much new technology to the Model X in version 1.” So many preorders of the $35,000 Model 3 so soon can create a big production backlog. The Model 3 is due out starting in late 2017. CEO Musk says he’s rethinking production planning. Tesla Analysts Forecast Production Pacific Crest Securities analyst Brad Erickson predicts Tesla “can deliver 370,000 vehicles” in 2020, Stifel’s James Albertine sees 200,000, and Tesla has predicted half a million. On how many Model 3 reservations will turn into sales, Erickson sees “huge optimism, but modest lack of conviction of actual purchase,” given that the deposits are fully refundable and only $1,000 each. Erickson is keeping his Tesla stock rating at sector weight. He says, “we need more comfort with the upside scenarios … before becoming more constructive on the stock.” Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are on average only mildly positive on Tesla stock, with a lot of future expectations already built into the price. Of 21 analysts polled, nine call Tesla a buy or strong buy, five a hold, and seven an underperform. Related : Tesla Stock Shrugs Off Parts Shortage; Model 3 Reservations Pass 276,000 This Is What It’s Like To Ride In A Tesla Model 3