Why InterDigital's Shares Got Crushed

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of InterDigital (NAS: IDCC) fell 13% today after releasing a disappointing earnings report.

So what: Revenue fell to $69.3 million from $78.5 million a year ago, falling just short of expectations. The really bad news was on the bottom line, where net income fell 53% to $10.9 million and earnings per share of $0.24 were below the expected $0.31 from analysts.

Now what: The company is attempting to turn its technologies into license royalties, but revenue was down by every measure in the quarter despite some new agreements. The company's litigation against companies is also a big unknown in the IP space that could be either profitable or costly. The only positive I can point to in this quarter is a $616 million cash hoard, but that's not enough for me to overlook falling revenue and profit and buy shares today.

Interested in more info on InterDigital? Add it to yourWatchlist.

At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributorTravis Hoiumhas no position in any company mentioned. You can follow Travis on Twitter at@FlushDrawFool, check out hispersonal stock holdingsor follow his CAPS picks atTMFFlushDraw.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of InterDigital. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days.

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