Strategy in TECH...
Is this the beginning of a new trend? After a notable jump in September, which some suggested may have been a bit of a fluke, residential construction – known as housing starts – actually surprised some industry analysts by jumping again in October. And while the amount of increase was more modest, that there was another month of increase may indicate the beginning of a new trend. Yet other data calls into question just where residential construction is heading. Read on to see that data…
Draper, Inc. announced this week that it has added a new 100,000 sq. ft. building to its campus in Spiceland, Indiana. This is its tenth building and this addition brings the company’s total footprint in Spiceland to no less than 500,000 sq. ft.
After the close of markets on Wednesday, Sonos released its Fiscal 2023 fourth quarter (Q4) and full-year results. As one of the industry’s top consumer brands, Sonos’ latest quarterly and full-year earnings put the post-COVID strain in full display as the company was hit with both sales and profit declines even though it took aggressive steps to adjust to an adverse consumer market.
The company says loyal customers are its greatest buffer against macroeconomic headwinds, but those headwinds were particularly daunting in 2023.
Last week, Snap One Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SNPO) reported its Fiscal 2023 third-quarter results, and it seemed to me like we’ve seen this movie before. In a nutshell, the company’s net sales declined and its net losses decreased. These are virtually the same trends we saw last quarter (Q2) and even the quarter before that. In fact, the company first talked about elements of these trends in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Without a doubt, Fiscal 2023 has been a challenging year for Masimo in many ways. And this week, as the company reported its results for the third quarter (Q3) that ended on September 30, 2023, that reality couldn’t be any clearer. With revenues down 13% and net income down more than 72%, about all the company could say is – wait until next year…it is going to be great.
Noting solid gains in their trade show segment, Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE: EEX) management proclaimed satisfaction with their fiscal 2023 third-quarter results. However, while the tradeshow business – the segment containing its CEDIA Expo show – saw a post-COVID increase in attendance and revenues, all was not rosy, as the company reported a dramatic drop in profits. Not only that but continued trouble in its content business – the segment with its CE Pro and Commercial Integrator (and other media brands) properties – saw revenues decline and even forced the company to revise its overall annual financial guidance downward.
A former associate of Head Monster Noel Lee (and Paris Hilton) remains in jail in Los Angeles after a judge dismissed a murder-for-hire case against him over technical questions of venue. Prosecutors accused Fereidoun “Prince Fred” or “Fred” Khalilian of paying his bodyguard to kill a documentary filmmaker who was ostensibly working on a movie exposing Khalilian’s alleged life of fraud.
Audio Advice, a leading retailer and e-commerce provider of high-performance home theater and smart home systems, announced on Tuesday that it has appointed Gregg Chopper as its new Chief Operating Officer. With extensive experience in high-end audio as well as North American and International operations and logistics, the company says that Chopper is the perfect addition to its management team as the company continues its rapid expansion.
Masimo Corporation (NASDAQ: MASI) scored a big win Thursday in its ongoing battles with Apple, Inc. when the United States International Trade Commission (USITC or ITC) sided largely with Masimo and issued a Limited Exclusion Order and a Cease and Desist Order against certain Apple Watch models that infringe on select Masimo patents. This exclusion order bans the import of those models that incorporate Masimo’s patented light-based pulse oximetry technology in violation of U.S. trade laws.
MQA Limited has notified Companies House, the U.K. government agency that is roughly equivalent to our Securities and Exchange Commission, that it has changed its name. After nine years as MQA Limited, the company will now be known as Wave Realisations Limited.
