2010: Year of the Palm? Maybe Not…
Evidently, Palm is not quite as well-poised for growth in 2010 as once thought. In a note to clients this week, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch (BAC) analyst Vivek Arya–who last November praised Palm as “a company with an attractive platform, selling into a high-growth market,”–has reconsidered his position.
In his latest note, he halved his target price on Palm (PALM) to $10 and lowered his forecast for third-quarter handset shipments to 900,000, from 1.1 million, and his forecast for fourth-quarter shipments to 1.2 million, from 1.5 million.
“Palm’s superior platform features have not translated into sufficient carrier support and consumer demand, and we are concerned the window of opportunity may be closing as Google’s Android ecosystem gains ground, RIM revitalizes its portfolio, iPhone increases its presence, and as Microsoft reboots its efforts with Windows Phone 7,” Arya wrote in a research note. “With only $130 million of net cash in an opex intensive space, Palm’s options may be limited in our view.”