We take a look at the recent rumors surrounding the Sailfish variant

The last few months have numerous leaks surface about Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) upcoming Nexus devices. According to multiple sources, HTC has partnered with Google to release two new Nexus devices later this year. Rumors suggest that there will be a 5.2inch and another 5.5inch model, though both devices will feature a similar design. Now, a new leak by tipster Evan Blass gives us details of the specs of the smaller Sailfish variant.

Evan Blass today discovered and released a build.prop file that shows the details of specs for the 5.2 inch Sailfish variant. The new device is reported to feature Full HD display that will produce a screen density of 420. The device will also feature the Snapdragon 820 chipset rather than the Snapdragon 821 which was rumored to power the new device. The report also stated that the new device will feature biometric authentication, which will most probably come with a fingerprint scanner.

The report claims that the bigger Marlin variant will only differ in terms of size and both Nexus devices will share the same specs. The new Nexus devices will also feature built in VR technology as the new devices will be the support to Google’s recently introduced VR platform called daydream. The upcoming Nexus devices will come pre-installed with Android Nougat 7.0, which brings in ton of new features and improvements to further enhance user experience.

There are also reports that Google is planning to release two new Nexus smartwatches alongside the new smartphones as the company looks to compete directly with the Apple Watch. The Nexus devices are also reported to feature a new ‘G’ logo in place of the Nexus logo that was found on all previous Nexus devices. The evices are also rumored to be the most powerful devices that the company has released so far. The anticipated phones are to be launched in the coming month at the awaited event by the company.

Now we know why brokerages were going crazy after this e-commerce giant

Perhaps the time for which the entire set of investors were waiting has arrived, and arrived with a bang. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) has released its quarterly earnings, in which it beat both its topline and bottom-line estimates. Following the news, shares have skyrocketed, nearing price targets of many brokerages. Strong performance can be seen in all the four distinct segments, including cloud computing, e-commerce, digital media, and entertainment. It can thus be said that Daniel Zhang has been the lucky charm for the e-commerce giant.

Talking of Mr. Zhang, his previous track record says it all. Transforming Haier from a company nearing bankruptcy, to being one of the pioneers in the electronic items market was a task led brilliantly by him. That same work ethics and commitment seems to transcend at Alibaba too; perhaps the hiring of Mr. Zhang in early 2015 was another master stroke by Jack Ma.

Coming to the numbers, impressive growth can be seen in the topline of the company, which jumped more than 59% YoY to $4.838 billion in the recent quarter. A strong performance can be seen in all areas, especially the home country, China, where the company reported exceptional YoY growth of 49%. Moreover, the profits of the $216.66 billion e-commerce giant are also phenomenal; the bottom-line stood at $2.501 billion, representing YoY increase of 38%. The non-diluted EPS for the quarter stood at $0.74.

Mobile transactions represented 75% of the overall Gross Merchandise Value, which stood at $126 billion, implying YoY increase of 24%. Multiplied growth rate in its cloud computing segment is a treat to watch for any investor, as the segment earned $187 million. However, it could still not contribute to the bottom-line as of yet.

Now that Alibaba Group has started segment-wise accounting reports, it will surely be a lot convenient for investors to interpret the performance of its division. Let’s see how high the stock prices go today, currently the stock trades at $91.37 (7:14 AM EDT).

Goldman Sachs has a $70 price target on Qualcomm stock

QUALCOMM, Inc.(NASDAQ:QCOM) stock jumped by 7.6% in early trading today after the company disclosed its earnings results for the third quarter of the current fiscal year. For the three months ended on June 30, Qualcomm earned a profit of $1.16 per share on revenue of $6 billion compared to consensus estimates of 97 cents per share and $5.58 billion respectively.

Investment firm Goldman Sachs, in an updated research note sent out to clients and investors, added the company’s stock to its conviction buy list. The firm keeps a $70 price target on the company’s stock that suggests an upside of 25%.

“Qualcomm posted its first year over year revenue growth in four quarters on a strong chipset product cycle, better smartphone demand in the low end, and recovery of royalties in China’ said analyst Simona Jankowski. The analyst projects acceleration in Qualcomm’s revenue growth going into 2017. This she attributes to Qualcomm’s continued momentum in making increasing market share gains at Samsung coupled with the company witnessing recovery in royalty collections.

 Ms. Jankowski believes that revenue growth coming back after declines in four consecutive quarters coupled with $700 million reduction in overall expenses would result in gross margins rising by 3% next year. The firm believes that Qualcomm will earn a profit of $5.17 per share next year considerably above a consensus estimate of $4.65. The analyst highlights that this quarter is an important turning point in Qualcomm’s path with revenue estimate cycle moving upwards. 

Ms Jankowski adds that Qualcomm now has been able to gain a strong shares in the high end market ith the Samsung win and also in the mid tier market by securing deals with several Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEM). Among other things the analyst believes that Qualcomm’s successful royalty recovery in China would counter the bearish sentiment towards the stock.

Skullcandy stock surged more than 23% in yesterday, after receiving multiple takeover bids

Skullcandy Inc. (NASDAQ:SKUL) stock surged more than 23% yesterday, after receiving a takeover bid from global consumer technology platform Incipio Group. The company agreed to pay over $5.75 per share of Skullcandy common stock, making the total buyout deal worth $177 million. The household electronics company’s shares had halted before news of its merger with Incipio broke out.

The acquisition price offers a premium of roughly 29% over the company’s closing price June 22. As per the agreement, Incipio Group will finance the transaction by using only cash. The deal is expected to be closed by the end of the third quarter of 2016.

Incipio founder and CEO Andy Fathollahi also issued positive comments on the aforementioned tie-up: “Skullcandy and Astro amplify our dynamic mix of products and brands, while bolstering the technical and operational capabilities that serve as the foundation of our platform. The team at Skullcandy and its international presence will also allow us to accelerate the global impact of our multi-brand offense.”

In addition to Incipio Group, a private equity firm named Mill Road Capital also joined the race to acquire Skullcandy after disclosing a 9.8% stake in the company. The equity firm also disclosed its intention to purchase the remaining stake in the company at a price tag of $6.05 per Skullcandy share, edging the offer given by the global consumer technology platform.

Analysts at Wunderlich Securities slashed their rating on Skullcandy stock from Buy to Hold after the takeover news surfaced in late trading hours yesterday. Skullcandy stock has tumbled nearly 28% in the last 12 months, hitting its 52-week low of $2.75 in late January. The Street currently has a 12-month mean price target of $5.92 on the stock, reflecting 2.78% upside potential over the last closing price. Data on Thomson Reuters indicates analysts have three Buy and one Hold rating on the stock.