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from Bloomberg

Nokia Net Rises 44% on Record Market Share, Shipments (Update3)

By Juho Erkheikki
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Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Nokia Oyj, the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, said fourth-quarter profit rose 44 percent, exceeding analysts' estimates, as it took market share from Motorola Inc. and shipments climbed to a record.

Nokia gained the most in more than seven years in Helsinki trading. Net income was 1.84 billion euros ($2.7 billion), or 47 cents a share, Nokia said today. The average profit estimate of 17 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg was 1.51 billion euros.

Revenue rose at the fastest pace since 2000 and the market share of Espoo, Finland-based Nokia reached a record 40.2 percent, as Chief Executive Officer Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo introduced phones costing less than $50 and handsets with satellite navigation. Yesterday, Motorola reported an 84 percent drop in profit and forecast an unexpected loss for this quarter.

``Nokia is the clear winner in the industry,'' said Niklas Lund, a fund manager at Alandsbanken Asset Management in Helsinki, which oversees $1 billion of assets, including Nokia shares. ``The stock has been depressed on the belief of a weak consumer globally, but Nokia seems immune to a slowdown, saying it's business as usual.''

Nokia surged as much as 3.15 euros, or 15 percent, to 23.87 euros in Helsinki, the biggest gain since October 2000. The stock traded at 23.84 euros as of 5:07 p.m. Before today, Nokia shares had fallen 22 percent this year in Helsinki, while the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index for Europe's biggest companies fell 16 percent. Nokia rose 71 percent last year, its best performance since 1999.

Dominant Position

Revenue increased 34 percent to 15.7 billion euros, topping the 14.9 billion euros analysts had predicted.

Nokia's market share in the fourth quarter was higher than its three biggest competitors -- Motorola, Samsung Electronics Co. and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd. -- combined, market researcher Strategy Analytics said in a report today. The three biggest competitors had a combined share of 35.6 percent, the researcher said.

The Finnish company's global market share in the fourth quarter, which matched analysts' estimates, compares with 39 percent in the previous quarter and 36 percent a year earlier. Nokia forecast its market share in the first quarter will be in line with the previous period.

Nokia said it plans to pay an annual dividend of 53 cents a share, up from 43 cents a year earlier.

Record Shipments

Nokia shipped 133.5 million devices in the quarter, an increase of 20 percent sequentially and 27 percent from a year earlier. The average selling price for its phones rose to 83 euros sequentially, while it fell from 89 euros a year earlier as more phones were sold in emerging markets, Nokia said.

The company's flagship N95 satellite navigation model continued to spur earnings, as did the mid-range models 6300, which sold more than 7 million units, and the new 6500. In the lower end, the 2630 phone, which is known as the ``Barracuda,'' and the 1200 family led sales.

Analysts had anticipated shipments of 130 million units and an average selling price of 82 euros.

Samsung Electronics, which overtook Motorola last year as the second-biggest mobile-phone maker, reported a 67 percent increase in fourth-quarter earnings at its telecommunications unit. Samsung's unit shipments rose 41 percent to a record.

Motorola's Stumble

Motorola has suffered after failing to find models to match the success of the Razr and retreating from competing on price in emerging markets. Before today, Motorola shares have lost 38 percent this year, including a 19 percent slide yesterday when the Schaumburg, Illinois-based company reported earnings.

``In 2008, Motorola will continue to bleed and lose market share, while Nokia will continue to pick up'' that lost share, David Hallden, an analyst at Credit Agricole Cheuvreux in Stockholm who advises buying the stock, said by telephone.

Apple Inc. said last week it had sold more than 4 million iPhones since the introduction in June. Nokia said the iPhone has increased general interest in advanced phones, known as converged devices, a market where it says it has about 50 percent share.

Global unit sales will rise about 10 percent from an estimated 1.14 billion units sold in 2007, Nokia said, reiterating a forecast made last month. Volumes in the first quarter, typically Nokia's weakest period, should fall sequentially, and full-year average prices will decline, the company said.

Profitability Advantage

Nokia Chief Financial Officer Rick Simonson said in November the company's third-quarter gross margin in entry-level phones, which are mainly sold in emerging markets such as China and India and typically cost about 30 euros, was close to levels achieved by Sony Ericsson, which focuses on high-end devices.

The operating margin at Nokia's device units swelled to about 24 percent in the fourth quarter from about 16 percent a year earlier.

``The handset market is strong,'' Kallasvuo said in a conference call. ``We can simultaneously increase margins and market share. We want more than 40 percent share.''

Earnings at the mobile-phones unit, which makes the most basic handsets, beat analysts' estimates, while earnings at the Multimedia and Enterprise Solutions businesses making more advanced devices were in line with analyst predictions.

Nokia grouped its Internet services, which include music, maps and games, under the Ovi brand to generate revenue outside its traditional handset business and increase its grip on existing customers. It also plans to introduce models with touch screens and have more devices equipped with navigation capabilities this year.

The company's recent Internet-related takeovers include mobile advertising company Enpocket and Avvenu, whose services allow users to share personal files wirelessly and securely. In October, Nokia agreed to buy digital maps maker Navteq Corp. for $8.1 billion, the biggest purchase by a Finnish company.

Network Venture

Growth at Nokia was held back by Nokia Siemens Networks, the telecommunications network equipment venture formed with Siemens AG in April, which is cutting jobs as industry demand wanes.

Nokia Siemens Networks broke even on an operating basis on sales of 4.58 billion euros. A charge of 119 million euros from job cuts was booked in the quarter as well as 53 million-euro gain from a disposal of real estate.

The venture is on track to reach its annual 2 billion-euro cost savings target, Simonson said in the conference call. Excluding one-time items, the venture had a profit of 66 million euros, compared with a loss in the third quarter. One-time charges in the quarter were lower than anticipated. Simonson declined to give a specific time frame for booking charges.

``NSN is headed in the right direction in a challenging industry environment,'' Simonson said.

Analysts had predicted an operating profit, excluding one- time items, of 138 million euros at the venture, with sales of 4.34 billion euros.