Topic: How To Invest

Dear Pat: Can I have your quick opinion on Ericsson and Nokia? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

L. M. Ericsson Telephone Co. (ADR), $12.17, symbol ERIC on Nasdaq (ADRs outstanding: 3.0 billion; Market cap: $40.4 billion; www.ericsson.com), is a leading global maker of systems and products for wired and mobile telecommunications networks. The company’s divisions include Networks (which supplies 51% of its total revenue); Global Services (43%); and Support Solutions (6%). Ericsson reported sluggish results in 2012, but its sales and earnings have improved this year. North America has shown the biggest turnaround for the company, especially in mobile broadband. Service providers are looking to deploy more advanced networks to capitalize on rising data traffic. That has been somewhat offset by weaker demand for the company’s products in key Asian markets, including China, Japan and Korea. The company needs a sustained global economic recovery to report big gains in sales and earnings, but its outlook is positive. Ericsson trades at 16.2 times this year’s forecast earnings of $0.75 per ADR. The ADRs yield 3.5%. Ericsson is okay to hold. A:…