BlackBerry’s acquisition of Cylance, a leader in the areas of
artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, is expected to benefit the company
and aid revenue growth. In July, BlackBerry launched CylanceGUARD, a managed
detection and response solution that helps in continuous threat-hunting and
monitoring.
The company is also expected to benefit from its partnerships
in various areas. BlackBerry has partnered with LG for the development of
autonomous vehicle technology and also with Jaguar Land Rover for intelligent
vehicles. The company has also partnered with Geotab for asset management.
BlackBerry saw growth in the Internet of Things and Licensing segments last quarter and this trend can be expected to continue in the second quarter. However, negative foreign currency impacts and pricing challenges in key markets could pressure results in the period.
In the first quarter of 2020, BlackBerry beat earnings estimates but revenues missed expectations. Revenue grew 16% year-over-year to $247 million but fell short of estimates of $264 million. Adjusted EPS fell 66% to $0.01.
For fiscal 2020, on a non-GAAP basis, BlackBerry expects total revenue to grow 23-27% year-over-year, driven by a double-digit percentage increase in billings. Within this, IoT revenue is expected to grow 12-16% year-over-year while BlackBerry Cylance revenue is expected to grow 25-30%. Licensing revenue is projected to decrease by 5% year-over-year.
BlackBerry’s shares have gained 6% year-to-date and 9% in the past one month. The majority of analysts have given the stock a Hold rating and the average price target is $7.95.