financial

Groupon's CEO lectured his employees today about the need for his company to grow and shake off its difficult adolescence -- all while blaming the beer he was drinking for difficulty speaking.

Andrew Mason told employees at a town hall meeting that the daily deals site didn't have "any margin for error," according to The Wall Street Journal, which observed the meeting via Webcast. Mason, 31, drank from a bottle of beer while laying out the company's priorities for the next six months, including the buttressing Groupon's financial controls and staffing.

"We're … Read more

Sprint Nextel started off 2012 on a sour note, the company revealed today in its first-quarter earnings release.

During the first three months of 2012, Sprint lost $863 million, or a loss of 29 cents per share. During the same period in 2011, the company posted a net loss of $439 million. Sprint generated $7.2 billion in revenue during the quarter, which was actually up 7 percent year-over-year.

Sprint said today that its loss was due primarily to the accelerated depreciation related to the planned shutdown of Nextel. Discounting those charges, the company said, its operating loss was $255 … Read more

AT&T marked a strong first quarter with smartphones leading the way, the company announced today.

During the three-month period ended March 31, AT&T generated $31.8 billion in revenue, representing a gain of $575 million, or 1.8 percent, compared to the first quarter of 2011. In addition, AT&T posted a profit of $3.6 billion, or 60 cents per share, in the period, up from the $3.4 billion it generated in the first quarter of 2011. Analysts were predicting 57 cents per share for the latest quarter.

A key revenue driver for … Read more

When Netflix reveals its first-quarter earnings Monday, two analysts say, the results should be stronger than initially believed. Then comes the rest of the year, which isn't looking so hot.

Sterne Agee analyst Ray Young, who has been following the company's shares for quite some time, says that Netflix could post revenue of $865 million for the first quarter, landing towards the top of its $842 million to $877 million guidance. And although the analyst thinks Netflix will post a loss of 19 cents per share, it's far below the company's upper-level guidance of a loss … Read more

Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins has decided he needs some outside input on the company's strategy, according to a new report.

The BlackBerry maker is currently nearing a decision to pick a financial adviser that will help it make strategic decisions, according to Bloomberg, citing sources. JPMorgan Chase is the front-runner in RIM's list of choices, and could be named its adviser within the next couple of days, the news agency is reporting.

RIM's reported decision to bring on a financial adviser comes just a few weeks after the company posted a bleak fiscal fourth quarter that saw the firm lose $125 million, … Read more

The bad news just keeps coming for HTC.

The company's shares were down 6.19 percent today, closing the day on the Taiwan Stock Exchange at NT$485 ($16.45). At that level, the company's shares have slid nearly 35 percent in the last six months, and they continue to inch their way toward a 52-week low of NT$403. During that time, the company's stock hit a high of NT$1,300.

HTC's most recent troubles reflect investor concern over the company's decision yesterday to replace its chief financial officer, Winston Yung, with former … Read more

Apple's shares have been down over the last few days, prompting some to express concern over the company's financial performance.

The Wall Street Journal last night wrote a report on Apple's shares, saying that the iPhone maker's stock is "showing signs of faltering, threatening to drag much of the market down with it."

Apple's shares were down 4.1 percent yesterday, closing down to $580.13 from their open of $610.06. Over the last five days of trading, Apple's stock is down $53.55, or 8.45 percent. The company's … Read more

Apple might have sold more than 30 million iPhones during the first quarter, according to an analyst.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote to investors today that Apple likely sold 33 million iPhones during the first quarter. During the same period in 2011, Apple sold 18.65 million iPhones.

Although Munster's estimate easily outpaces that quarter, the figure would be far behind the 37 million iPhones Apple sold during the fourth quarter. Munster didn't address the difference, but fourth-quarter's sales figures were likely higher due to the debut of the iPhone 4s and holiday shopping.

In addition, … Read more

The bad news just keeps coming for Sony.

The company informed investors today that a February forecast indicating the company would lose 220 billion yen ($2.7 billion) during the fiscal year that ended March 31 has been revised downward. Sony now expects to post a loss (PDF) of 520 billion yen ($6.4 billion).

Although the steep loss might worry investors who think things are worse than expected at Sony, the revision will not have an impact on the company's operations or cash flow. Instead, Sony has been forced to write off deferred tax credits due to the … Read more