Spinoff spotlight: Blackberry

Article Excerpt

BLACKBERRY LTD. $5.75 is a hold. The software maker (Toronto symbol BB; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 584.4 million; Market cap: $3.4 billion; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.blackberry.com) cancelled its plan to sell about 20% of the shares in its Internet of Things business, which includes its QNX software for automobiles, through an initial public offering. The remaining operations would have consisted of the company’s cybersecurity products. However, BlackBerry will restructure those two businesses into standalone divisions. That would make them easier to value, and set the stage for the full spinoff. Meantime, in the three months ended August 31, 2023, BlackBerry’s revenue fell 21.4%, to $132 million from $168 million a year earlier (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). Excluding one-time items, the company lost $23 million, or $0.04 a share, in the quarter. That’s compared to a loss of $29 million, or $0.05. BlackBerry is a hold. hold…