Why Research In Motion Shares Popped

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 Research In Motion have popped today by upwards of 12% after CEO Thorsten Heins said the company is considering a wide range of strategic options.

So what: In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt, Heins said that could include selling the company's hardware operations as well as potentially licensing its new BlackBerry 10 operating system platform to other vendors. Heins emphasized that the first thing that the company needs to focus on is launching BlackBerry 10 and proving it as a viable competitor.

Now what: The news comes as market researcher Kantar Worldpanel ComTech released estimates showing that RIM's market share in the U.S. fell to 1.1% during the 12 weeks ending Dec. 23, so the company is in dire need of success from BlackBerry 10. Licensing the platform to other OEMs could boost margins, though at the risk of reducing its control over its hardware. BlackBerry 10 launches on Jan. 30 and Research In Motion has already lined up numerous carrier partners.

Interested in more info on Research In Motion? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.

The article Why Research In Motion Shares Popped originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, and The Motley Fool have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.