Stockchase Opinions

Darren SissonsEricsson LM TelephoneERICWAITJul 30, 2020

Product probably inferior to Huawei, which will continue to grow. The question is who will be competition of Cisco in other markets. Ericsson could benefit structurally from the Five Eyes alliance. He's not a buyer here. A lot depends on whether the Democrats get the keys to the White House and want to continue with the China ban on technology.

$11.53

Stock price when the opinion was issued

Telecommunications
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DON'T BUY

It spent a lot on 5G and it will take several years to realize the return on this. The company has been disappointing.

PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Dec 23/20, Down 5%) The leader in 5G growth. 3 players in 5G, and between NOKIA and ERIC, he chooses ERIC. A big deal for telcos to drive revenue growth. 12-month price target of $14.75. Buy in thirds here at $10.95, 10.50, and 10.
PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Sep 02/20, Down 1%) Got out of it in the high $13s 6 months ago. There was a dip a couple months ago. Still believes in the 5G space. Not something that is a long term hold.
DON'T BUY

Europe was more advanced than Canada until 2000s in terms of telecommunications. Now that Europe has lowered the cost of consumer phones, there was a lull and under investment in the network in Europe. There will be continuing development with towers for wireless activities and 5G. Political concerns with Huawei will help Ericsson. Optical equipment grow quickly and then stagnates.

BUY
Global leader. In his bullpen of names to look at. Poised to benefit from 5G rollout with a very competitive product. Set for free cashflow acceleration over the next few years. Trades at below market multiple. High quality name.
PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Sep 02/20, Up 15%) A play on the 5G roll-out. When he bought this, there were issues with Huawei. ERIC will be in a position to win more 5G contracts, and 5G is in its infancy. Maybe it's not his first pick in this space now, but definitely hold it if you own it.
TOP PICK
One of the highest spend areas around the world is the cloud. Still has significant upside. King of 5G deployment. Getting traction around the world. Buy some here around $11.70, and then add to at $11, and at 10.25. Yield is 0.72%. (Analysts’ price target is $13.88)
DON'T BUY

Up from its lows. He stays away from hardware producers, as it's hard to differentiate products except for Apple. Issue of timing. Huawei is still a serious player. Hardware is traditionally a hard business to make money in.

TOP PICK

Along with Nokia, an alternative to Huawei. Just rolled out 5G in Slovenia. Tons of investment opportunity in the sector. Yield is 0.64%. (Analysts’ price target is $12.13)

DON'T BUY
A critical player in 5G. However, he has found better opportunities elsewhere. It could still have some run, but he would prefer tower companies or US telecoms. They have disappointed in the past.
COMMENT

Nokia vs. Ericsson These companies have come into their own since the US government has pressured other government to not use Huawei for their 5G networks. Ericsson has done well in 5G. Nokia made an acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent that was difficult to pull off but has since gotten a lot better. Nokia will do a little better than Ericsson. Nokia has new management.

BUY
He picked this for the 5G space as the main provider for technology. It has a good track record and management is solid. They are getting a lot of orders on their own and because of Huawei's controversy. (Analysts’ price target is $10.50)
COMMENT

5G deployment is a key theme for him right now. NOK and CSCO are others in the space. He much prefers ERIC overall -- he thinks it could go to $12 per share.

BUY

vs. AMD? A tough call. AMD is more a trading stock. ERIC is long-term. Both are in chips and especially 5G deployment which will play out over time. He picks ERIC.