Sprint the Latest Wireless Signal to Get Crossed

By William Trent, CFA of Stock Market Beat

Last month, astute observers (defined as those with a pulse) could notice that there were an awful lot of companies in the wireless food chain announcing disappointing results. Last week Motorola joined the club, and yesterday we got news from the third-largest US wireless carrier. Sprint to Cut 5,000 Jobs; Stock Plunges: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance

Sprint Nextel Corp. reported Monday that its cell phone business suffered a net loss of 300,000 monthly subscribers in the fourth quarter and that the struggling wireless company will cut 5,000 jobs.The company’s stock plunged more than 8 percent after the financial update, which included a 2007 outlook shy of many Wall Street forecasts.

Last month we suggested that several high-multiple names might be worth avoiding. None of those stocks has since blown up, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t standing in a mine field.

The author may hold a position in the securities discussed. The author’s current holdings are as follows: Long: Union Pacific (UNP) put options; Air Products (APD) put options; Nasdaq 100 (QQQQ) put options; FedEx (FDX) put options; Intuit (INTU) put options; Bookham (BKHM; Ballard Power (BLDP); Syntax Brillian (BRLC); CMGI (CMGI); Genentech (DNA); Ion Media Networks (ION); Three Five Systems (TFS); IShares Japan (EWJ); StreetTracks Gold (GLD); Starbucks (SBUX); U.S. Oil Fund (USO); Plantronics (PLT) call options; Short: Landstar (LSTR) put options; Ceradyne (CRDN) put options; Dell (DELL) put options; Plantronics (PLT) put options

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