Struggling electronics retailer
RadioShack Corp.
(
RSH
) has collaborated with Cricket Communications, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of
Leap Wireless International Inc.
(
LEAP
) to offer no-contract wireless services from its stores across the
U.S.
Initially, RadioShack will offer Huawei's Mercury Ice, a
smartphone powered by
Google Inc's.
(
GOOG
) Android operating system and is priced at $149.99. The company
will also offer Huawei Pillar, a feature phone with full keyboard
and is priced at $39.99.
RadioShack has vowed to bring in two more smartphones by the end
of September and the entire range will be offered from Cricket
Communication's stable.
The feature phone customers can choose either from RadioShack's
wireless service offer of a $25 plan/month with 300 voice minutes
and unlimited texts or a $35/month plan with 1000 voice minutes and
unlimited texts.
The smartphone plans include a $50/month and $60/month offering,
which limits download speed after 1GB and 2.5GB of data usage
respectively. RadioShack is also offering two more expensive plans
with higher data caps.
Fort Worth, Texas-based RadioShack has been struggling for quite
some time and recently declared dismal financial results for the
second quarter of 2012 with both the top and bottom line well below
the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company suspended its dividend,
owing to weak result in the reported quarter.
The uncapped data plan market is growing and is particularly
attractive among the lower income group or customers who don't want
to be tied down within any contract. We believe this new offering
will help RadioShack to attract customers who prefer data options
without any cap or throttling.
Additionally, it is expected that it will increase its retail
footprint as online shoppers can't avail this offer. However,
the company could face competition from rival
MetroPCS Communications Inc.
(
PCS
), which has recently introduced a no-strings-attached unlimited
plan for $55/month.
The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for RadioShack Corp. is
pegged at a loss of 16 cents for the third quarter of 2012 with a
growth rate estimate of (205.00%). For the years 2012 and 2013, the
Zacks Consensus Estimates stand at a loss of 31 and 12 cents with a
growth rate of (133.00%) and 63.23%, respectively.
Recommendation
RadioShack currently enjoys a long-term Neutral recommendation.
Additionally, it holds a short-term Zacks #5 Rank (Strong Sell) on
the stock.
GOOGLE INC-CL A (GOOG): Free Stock Analysis
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LEAP WIRELESS (LEAP): Free Stock Analysis
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METROPCS COMMUN (PCS): Free Stock Analysis
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RADIOSHACK CORP (RSH): Free Stock Analysis
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