[Andrew4life]

Interesting to see BlackBerry is no longer using dollars and millions for their financial accounting, they are doing their financial in "mans" instead.

Hahahaha

(you'll know what I'm talking about if you listened to the call in)

Posted via CB10

[huwit]

Those results make my day.

[Corbu]

BlackBerry pre-market shares rise after posting smaller quarterly loss - Article - BNN

[Redzinaldas]

Beats expectation on revenue! Finally I can't remember when I heard something like this last time

[erose75]

Nice bump so far today.

[kellyweng88]

holy moly, im liking today's share price activity! Still have a lot of work to do though!

[erose75]

Big mover this morning. Even got a mention on Varney & Co

[world traveler and former ceo]

What do over 52 million shorts do now? ...where's the popcorn...

Posted via CB10

[Andy_bb_king]

M8,

It is breaking out of the huge falling wedges, how high do you see it can go from technical point of view?

Thanks,
Andy

Posted via CB10

[morganplus8]

M8,

It is breaking out of the huge falling wedges, how high do you see it can go from technical point of view?

Thanks,
Andy

Posted via CB10

That is an extremely difficult question to answer because we are trading on news. The valuation of the company is far different than the technicals can represent now. The valuation says that it should have MOBL "like" moves of 40% from it's pre-news trade. That would place the stock at $ 10.00/shr using their metrics.

The technicals state that it is grossly over-bought, RSI too high, Bollinger bands way too high etc.. On a purely chart result, the pennant formation takes it to $ 10.00 - $ 12.00 as the new range and so does the channel formation, it is the width of the channel move over the past year as the new high. Using the channel range for the past 12 months we should go to $ 10.40/shr now. (Update) I want to say a bit more about this indicator just to show how the numbers come about. The range of the channel is added to the highest point in the channel meaning that the $ 2.35 range + $ 8.25 high is the target, or slightly higher then my $ 10.40/shr. The key short-term number is $ 8.25/shr which is where we stopped on so many rallies in the past, we need to clear that number on a closing basis.

We are currently working off the round number of $ 8.00/shr and then we'll race to $ 8.25/shr. So I'll be watching this action today, the shorts really screwed themselves and I'll tell you why. MOBY went out at $ 15 B and we all know that BlackBerry could go out at $ 7.5 B or half the value of that company. With today's data, BlackBerry will hear take-out rumours again, it is in play now. I wouldn't want to be short this stock for those reasons.

Those are the target numbers versus what we'll hear from our favourite analysts which should hit the board before too long. How you cannot raise your target is beyond me but we do have James Faucette coming up soon. In closing, Chen did a masterful job this time and he was backed up by accounting. The numbers were really great across the board this time and even _dimi_ should like what they are doing for transparency in FY18. What a great day, let's work on that $ 8.00 level for another hour and burst out of it on volume. GL to all.

[Corbu]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...s-more-to-come

Now the challenge is selling BlackBerry’s suite of security-focused software products, which range from tools that help companies track their employees’ mobile devices to computer operating systems for guided missiles. Chen said on the call that BlackBerry is starting to attract companies beyond its core client base in financial services, healthcare and government. BlackBerry sees 13 percent to 15 percent growth this fiscal year in software and services, at the upper end of the market rate, he said.

That expansion will come from “a combination of some current and existing products which we’re proud of and some new stuff coming online,” he said. “Not everything will work, but I think we’ll get enough iron in the fire, and the combination makes us feel comfortable we will grow at these numbers.”

In the fiscal fourth quarter, revenue was $297 million, beating the average estimate of $289 million. Software revenue was $182 million, 80 percent of which was recurring and not due to one-time licensing deals. BlackBerry’s cash balance increased, a key milestone after months of burning money, to $1.7 billion. The company also hired about 1,000 people last year even while reducing expenses, Chen said.

“They’ve taken a lot of costs out of the business and are reinvesting those proceeds back in software, which is good to see,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matthew Kanterman said. “Now that they’re going to keep investing in new products, they’ll be able to stay ahead, be able to prevent the latest threats, and ultimately in the longer-term, sustain even faster growth.”

[Andy_bb_king]

Thanks, M8, always!

[Corbu]

BlackBerry Ltd shares soar after results show software shift is working | Financial Post

It hit its full-year target of 30 per cent growth in its software and services business, inked more than 3,500 customer orders in the last quarter and expects to grow at a faster pace than the market in fiscal 2018, CEO John Chen said in a call with analysts.

He expects his company to grow between 13 to 15 per cent, above the anticipated market growth rate of 10 to 12.5 per cent.

“We think we can do better than that,” Chen said, pointing to its QNX automotive software division and its fleet management software as particular growth drivers. BlackBerry also expects more revenue from enterprise and government clients and mobile software licensing.

“Not everything will work as you all know, but I think we’ve got enough irons in the fire that the combination of that makes us feel comfortable with our numbers,” he said.

Its manufacturing partners recently launched two smartphones that will bring royalty revenue depending on sales in the coming quarters. While BlackBerry will not reveal how much it earns per device, Chen said he believes multi-million units will sell annually.

“I will personally be disappointed with a million units,” he said.

One of its manufacturing partners might even launch a BlackBerry-branded tablet, he said, though he stressed that he’s not making the hardware.

Chen said he was very bullish when it comes to automotive software. BlackBerry’s infotainment systems – these sell for about $3 to $5 per car – are already in 60 million cars, but he hopes to sell this alongside four or five other in-vehicle applications currently in development.

“Rather than getting a set amount of dollars per car when you roll it out the manufacturing line… we want a service component of that on a monthly basis,” he said.

BlackBerry also reported lower costs this quarter as it shifted resources to software and scaled back certain jobs. Ford recently hired 400 of its engineers.

“We no longer designed hardware, antennas, keyboards … we no longer need engineers in the factories helping building devices,” Chen said.

Still, he said BlackBerry hired 1,000 people last year and intends to increase its headcount. He announced plans to reorganize the company and the way it reports financial results.

[Christophe Piquemal]

What a good WE it will be

And what I prefer is : "Approximately 80% of the fourth quarter Software & Services segment revenue (excluding IP licensing and professional services) was recurring."

[Corbu]

The Ford BlackBerry Partnership Could Leapfrog the Competition
Rob Enderle

[Corbu]

JC on CNBC:
Blackberry CEO: Very bullish on White House's infrastructure plans
John Chen, Blackberry CEO, discusses earnings, trade, and more.

[Corbu]

JC and Amber:
'There’s no danger': John Chen on BlackBerry's turnaround - Article - BNN

'There’s no danger': John Chen on BlackBerry's turnaround

BlackBerry shares soared on Friday after the company unexpectedly reported an adjusted fourth-quarter profit.

Chief Executive Officer John Chen joined BNN for a feature interview to discuss the company’s future, the pain of cutting jobs and more.

Here are some highlights from his conversation with Amber Kanwar.

On previous job cuts
“Unfortunately, when we shifted the business we had to let go of people, because otherwise the company would not survive and that’s really painful. But, one of the things about turnarounds is you have to deal with painful things as well as good things.”

On the turnaround
“We are executing. There’s no danger of the company financially being in trouble. We added more cash. We’ve got $1.1 billion in net cash and we paid down our debt by more than half a couple quarters ago … so we are definitely executing.”

On what to do with that cash
“We need to invest. It will be investing internally, it will be a combination of both [investing and M&A] -- but we will acquire.”

On getting a BlackBerry into Donald Trump’s hands
“We have a partnership with [former New York City Mayor Rudy] Giuliani and maybe he could help me. I’d love to. This is obviously managed by White House communications. [Former] President Obama uses a BlackBerry so I’m hoping that President Trump will too.”

On what will help the share price rebound
“Execution is enough. We have a great line-up of products and a strategy. The market seems to be right for us. Look at enterprise security, devices and autos. That’s what everybody is talking about, every day. We could be the backbone of all that.”

On partnership with Ford and future auto market opportunities
“Ford happens to be quite strategic – to us, at least … I hope it is to them, but to us, definitely. The fact that we have so many people that they are depending on to design the car of the future, I think is a very good indicator of our future.”

“Within this fiscal year I expect to have at least another [partnership], if not more. It’s an exciting market.”

On moving beyond “infotainment”
“Infotainment is a big market because almost every connected car needs one, but it’s commoditizing. We need to move the per-car revenue up and the only way to move the per-car revenue up is to come up with more sophisticated applications than the newer ones.”

“This is one of the reasons I believe that manufacturers like Ford like working with us. If [we’re] just merely [an] infotainment provider, they could get [that] from a lot of people.”

On Samsung’s Galaxy Note blow-up
“You can never underestimate Samsung. [They’re] a partner of ours and we like to manage their phones. I wish them every luck.”

“The fact that they pushed out an S8 means that they have identified and solved their problems. Otherwise they wouldn’t risk another financial and reputational issue. So they must have addressed it already… I wish them to be successful and, besides, eight is a good number in the Asian world.”

[Corbu]

Ross Healy not convinced:
Long-time BlackBerry bull no more: A former shareholder's view - Long-time BlackBerry bull no more: A former shareholder's view

[Corbu]

From Smartphones to Smart Enterprises, BlackBerry Expands Licensing Strategy for the Enterprise of Things
March 31, 2017 14:00 ET

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 31, 2017) - BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSX:BB) today shared new details on its broad licensing strategy which addresses the growing need for secure, connected devices and endpoints in today's Enterprise of Things.

The first phase of BlackBerry's strategy, announced in September 2016, was focused on providing the most secure and comprehensive Android software for smartphones around the world manufactured and marketed by TCL Communication, PT BB Merah Putih and Optiemus Infracom Ltd. The company is now pursuing additional endpoints which could include tablets, wearables, medical devices, appliances, point-of-sale terminals and other smartphones.

"There is an incredible opportunity for connected devices to improve lives, but to realize its full potential, privacy and security must be embedded in every end point from the start. For example, companies providing medical monitoring devices must protect health data on the device, guarantee it connects securely to the healthcare system, and most importantly ensure that it cannot be hacked, BlackBerry Secure helps solve this triple threat," said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO, BlackBerry. "We have taken a long-term and thoughtful approach to our licensing strategy, which includes an expansive view of the entire Enterprise of Things ecosystem. As part of this strategy, we will work with a wide range of manufacturers to integrate BlackBerry Secure software into both BlackBerry-branded and co-branded devices."

[Corbu]

Transcript:
BlackBerry's (BBRY) CEO John Chen on Q4 2017 Results - Earnings Call Transcript
https://seekingalpha.com/article/405...all-transcript

[Superfly_FR]

OMFG ... Missed it all ... How was it in one (OK two) words ? (At a dinner, late, 8 eyes presently killing me for using my BlackBerry)

[Corbu]

OMFG ... Missed it all ... How was it in one (OK two) words ? (At a dinner, late, 8 eyes presently killing me for using my BlackBerry)

Good!

[Corbu]

On the KEYone availability question...

Please click on the Tweet to get his complete explanation.

La Emperor likes this.

[Corbu]

BlackBerry eyes wearables, tablet, appliances in software licensing expansion

WATERLOO, Ont. - BlackBerry's logo may soon appear on more than just smartphones as CEO John Chen says the company is expanding its software licensing business.

The former smartphone leader said last year it was exiting the hardware business in favour of focusing on its growing software division. It has since inked licensing deals to put its hardware into phones manufactured by partners and opened a research centre for autonomous cars to help it capitalize on the burgeoning self-driving vehicle market. It is also in talks about a new BlackBerry-branded tablet.

While the potential tablet deal is the closest to coming to fruition, Chen said in a media roundtable that he's looking into putting BlackBerry software into wearables, appliances and medical devices.

"We (would) actually like to have our software technology and secure technology embedded into everything," he said.

Chen's comments came after the company reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, sending its shares soaring 11 per cent to $10.29 in afternoon trading in Toronto.

Licensing deals would follow a similar model to existing arrangements in place with partners who can design, manufacture and sell BlackBerry-branded smartphones, using the company's software, in exchange for royalties per phone.

Earlier this year, BlackBerry partner BB Merah Putih launched the Aurora for the Indonesian market. In February, TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd. (TCT) revealed a BlackBerry-branded phone with the classic physical keyboard, which is expected to be sold in Canada and several other countries soon.

Chen said he expects to see some revenue from the Aurora this quarter, while TCT's KEYone device likely won't start shipping until May.

He said he'd be disappointed with one million units sold and expects the licensing agreements, in total, to pay royalties on multimillion units annually.

When the company reports its next quarterly results, Chen said he expects to disclose how much the company made from royalties, which will include fees from the handset deals.

BlackBerry said its fourth-quarter loss under general accounting rules, reported in U.S. dollars, was $47 million, or nine cents per share — a big improvement from the $238-million loss it had at the same time last year.

Revenue for the quarter fell 38 per cent to $286 million.

But BlackBerry's report was more focused on its adjusted profit of four cents per share, which outperformed the consensus estimate.

The company also did better than the estimate of a loss of 13 cents per share and revenue of $289 million, according to Thomson Reuters data.

"I wish every quarter will be that easy," Chen said, adding the company had one of its strongest quarters to date for software billing.

But while the company has completed its turnaround, he said performance will not be a straight line upward. The biggest challenge for the company remains finding the channels to get its products to clients, Chen said.

"I do believe, however, we're going to have more good quarters in the future than in the past few years," he said.

Chen expects the company to grow its software and services business between 13 and 15 per cent — at or above average market growth — this fiscal year.

For the full year ended Feb. 28, BlackBerry had a $1.21 billion loss under general accounting rules and just $1.31 billion of revenue, which was down nearly 40 per cent from fiscal 2015-16.

[Corbu]

BlackBerry’s licensing strategy goes forward as turnaround continues - The Globe and Mail

BlackBerry Ltd. doesn’t make hardware any more, but that isn’t stopping chief executive officer John Chen from envisioning his company’s name on tablets, wearables, appliances, medical devices – and even “Internet-enabled shoes.”

The one-time smartphone giant announced in September that it was outsourcing manufacturing of handsets, opting to focus instead on software and cash in on the BlackBerry name through licensing deals with phone makers.

On Friday, the effects of that decision were clear: BlackBerry revealed hardware sales of just $55-million in the fiscal fourth quarter – the lowest since Mr. Chen took the reins at the company. By contrast, hardware accounted for approximately $350-million in sales in the fourth quarter of 2014.

And yet the biggest revelation Mr. Chen made on Friday centred on hardware. He teased investors with the claim that a new BlackBerry tablet was around the corner.

A new PlayBook? Not quite, he clarified, using the example to tout an expansion of the company’s licensing strategy beyond smartphones to tablets and other hardware – and software, too.

“I think Intel Inside strategy is a great strategy,” he said, referencing the 1990s branding of personal computers with the chip maker’s name. “I think we have every right to play in that strategy especially in mobile software and security.”

This approach would build on the licensing deals the company has struck so far in the smartphone space with China’s TCL Communication, Indonesia’s PT BB Merah Putih and Optiemus Infracom, which plans to sell BlackBerry-branded phones in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India.

In those deals, BlackBerry collects a royalty on every device shipped, and while the company hasn’t reported revenue on any of those partnerships yet, it is aiming to do so in the 2018 fiscal year.

In this world, Mr. Chen said even people who make “Internet-enabled shoes” would recognize they could call BlackBerry for expertise in embedded software, as well as brand association.

In BlackBerry’s enterprise market, software and service revenues hit $182-million for the quarter. While the company said it hit its target of 30-per-cent growth in annual software sales, it predicted growth will slow to 13-15 per cent in the next fiscal year.

Mr. Chen also confirmed the company has finished digesting the companies – such as Good Technology and Secusmart – it purchased in 2014 and 2015 and is ready to begin shopping again, putting its $1.7-billion in cash to work investing in the automotive-software market.

On that note, BlackBerry said its QNX unit has now captured 60 per cent of the automotive infotainment market and Mr. Chen said he sees potential to add as much as three or four times the revenue per vehicle by adding security to more in-car computer modules.

BlackBerry’s loss for the quarter was $47-million, or 9 cents a share, and its total revenue fell to $286-million, down 38 per cent from a year ago.

Still, Mr. Chen feels operations are more stable, calling the ability to pay down and renegotiate some debt during the fiscal year a watershed moment.

Reflecting on the turnaround journey thus far, Mr. Chen said he thinks the seeds he has planted in his first three years may finally start bearing fruit now that he has managed to “take all the lemons off the tree.”

Pausing for effect, he then warned: “There might be a last cup of lemonade.”