The new product announcements of Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) failed to lift the ratings of analysts covering its stock.
Analysts believe that although the new products of the company will bring a slight positive impact, “We fail to see any of them shifting the needle given the secular pressure we see on Blackberry access fees,” according to Credit Suisse analysts.
In fact, analysts at Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE:CS) were surprised that the Canadian smartphone manufacturer did not provide an update regarding the sell through or demand trends of the Blackberry Q10 and Blackberry Z10.
According to Credits Suisse analysts Kulbinder Garcha, and colleagues Talal Khan, Achal Sultania, Matthew Cabral, and Ray Bao; they perceive a limited scope for traction in Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB)’s Blackberry 10 devices in the hyper-competitive smartphone market despite early enthusiasm for the devices.
The analysts also believe that major changes in the business model of Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) will result in a significant decline in margin and will also cause operating losses for the company.
During the annual developer event Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB), the company introduced its new products including the Blackberry Q5, the less expensive QWERTY smartphone intended for emerging markets. The Canadian smartphone manufacturer also launched the BES 10.1, an MDM solution for mobile computing platforms, and its BBM new social media feature for all smartphone users.
In their research note to investors, Garcha and his fellow analysts said changes in the marketing strategy of Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB), particularly the centering of the Blackberry brand, may have attracted decent consumer awareness, but they expect limited volume onwards.
The analyst estimated that the company will ship around 15 million and 13 million Blackberry 10 devices for the fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2015, respectively. According to them, their expectation is due to high initial price points, strong competition particularly from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930), and a relatively weaker ecosystem of 120,000 apps.
Credit Suisse analysts maintained their underperform rating for shares of Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB), with a $10 price target.
On the other hand, analysts at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) believe that the impact of the new product offerings of the Canadian smartphone manufacturer is mixed. According to them, “We view this announcement as mixed, as incremental profits from Q5 may be offset by the reduction in service fees, as BB10 consumer plans don’t include a service fee to Blackberry.”
They also assumed that Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) will first target mature markets with Blackberry 10 in order to stop its declining share while it continues to serve emerging markets. The analysts also maintained their neutral rating for the stock.
