Has Motorola (NYSE:MOT) seen the worst?

Posted August 11, 2008

Investors have high hopes for Motorola (NYSE:MOT) after the recent appointment of a new CEO for the failing mobile device division, but analysts remain skeptical. Find out who is giving the maker of the RAZR a run for their money. Click here to join the Buzz…

by Krista Das

Baltimore — (TFN): Rumor has it that Motorola has seen the worst. After losing more than $1.9 billion since the beginning of last year with lost market share in it’s handset division, largely do to it’s star product, the RAZR falling out of popularity as consumers swarm to competing products such as the iPhone, the outlook for Motorola’s stock is finally becoming more promising.

Its shareholders already love the company’s new Co-CEO, Sanjay Jha. Just hours after the announcement, shares jumped 11%. Sanjay Jha, former COO of Qualcomm and engineering genius who is now in charge of the troubled mobile phone business, will be the head of the new handset company when Motorola splits in two in Q3 of 2009.

But will Jha be able to pull it off? Industry analysts are skeptical. While acknowledging that he excelled in operations at Qualcomm, they fear that Jha doesn’t have the marketing know-how to create exciting new products and pull Motorola out of the mud.

So should you buy Motorola? It’s hard to say until Mr. Jha makes a decision in 3 months as to how to turn Motorola around.

Another play that you may want to consider if you’re interested in tech, would be South Korea’s LG Electronics (PINK:LGERF). LG handsets, already popular worldwide are closing in on Motorola’s market share and are quickly gaining popularity in the U.S., which is Motorola’s backyard. LG is anticipated to have record sales this fall and this is not limited to their mobile devices. Their premium products are expected to continue their strong sales pattern despite global economic slow down.

Buying LG stock directly is a bit tricky though and the stock isn’t cheap, averaging over $100 a share. It’s available on the Korea Stock Exchange, the London Stock Exchange, and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, and as a tiny ADR on the pinksheets.

You can also buy an exchange-traded fund such as iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund (NYSE:EWY), which includes LG Electronics.
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