Editor’s Note: Related Tickers: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Apple rewards finance chief with $69M pay in 2012, highest of any CFO (Apple Insider)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer was the highest paid among all CFOs in 2012, as the Cupertino company rewarded him immensely for its financial performance. Oppenheimer, under whose watch Apple’s cash pile grew to roughly $120 billion in 2012, saw a compensation package of $68.6 million for the year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That figure is more than 16 times Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook’s compensation for the year. Stock grants issued to retain top executive talent comprised almost the whole of Oppenheimer’s pay for the year, which was the fifth-highest among all S&P 500 executives, including CEOs. The $68.6 million figure far outstripped the $51.7 million earned by tech’s next-highest compensated CFO, Oracle’s Safra Catz. Google’s Patrick Pichette was No. 3 at $38.7 million.
Although the recently-released BlackBerry Q10 handsets appear to be selling well, stocks may be limited, according to broker houses Canaccord Genuity and Jefferies. Analysts at Canaccord Genuity are not convinced that Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)’s current supply of Q10 handsets will keep up with demand. More worryingly, perhaps, the broker suspects that sales of BlackBerry Z10 handsets – launched in February – are already on the wane, particularly in the US. Canaccord Genuity’s findings come on the heels of a similar report from Jefferies. While Jefferies reports the new Q10 smartphone is selling well in Canada and Britain, it also flags up “limited stock” of the device. Jefferies says its findings are based on checks with mobile carriers and retailers in both countries, including Bell, Rogers and Telus in Canada, and Carphone Warehouse, Vodafone, and Orange in Britain.
Nokia takes on Apple and Samsung with clip of Lumia 928’s low-light video capabilities (PCWorld)
The Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) Lumia 928 will be an upgraded version of the existing flagship Lumia 920, and is expected to become available via U.S. operator Verizon Wireless. The Windows Phone-based device will have an 8.7-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization, according to Nokia. As it tries to build some buzz for the phone, Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK)has updated the device’s U.S. website with a clip that compares its video capabilities with that of the Galaxy S III from Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone 5. The video shows a roller-coaster ride at night, and not surprisingly the Nokia device comes out on top, according to Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK). It has better color saturation than the iPhone 5 and less video noise than the Galaxy S III as well as a sharper image focus compared to both phones, according to the Finnish vendor.
Blackberry shares slide (Fudzilla)
Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)’s comeback suffered a set back yesterday after Pacific Crest Securities issued a downbeat report on sales momentum for the company’s new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Shares of BlackBerry slid more than 5 percent after Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette, slapped an underperform rating on the company’s stock. He believes initial shipment and sales volumes for the Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) Q10 were not been strong. Faucette said sales of the BlackBerry Z10 are slowing down as well.
Apple picks itself up off the mat (Fortune)
Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) have gained about 20% from last month’s low of $385. The rally came after Apple said it planned to return $100 billion to shareholders over the next three years, mainly by buying back its own stock. The company sold a record $17 billion of bonds to help finance the initiative, a move designed to avoid the taxes Apple would have to pay if it repatriated overseas cash. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) had been under pressure from investors, including David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital, to use its $144 billion of cash to reward shareholders. Einhorn called the move…
