The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia is set to report solid third-quarter sales next week, with investors looking at its margins and outlook in the run-up to the Christmas season.
With Nokia already having given recent forecasts for the quarter, the focus will be on prospects for the busy sales period in the last three months of the year when the company unveils its results on October 20.
A Reuters poll of 26 analysts found an average estimate for earnings per share (EPS) of 0.19 euros for the third quarter, at the top of Nokia's indicated range of 0.18-0.19 euros, which includes 1 cent from one-off gains. This compares to 0.15 euros last year.
Analysts also expect EPS of 0.24 euros for the fourth quarter for Nokia, which sells one in three of all mobiles.
But the Finnish group is unlikely to give its own forecast for earnings per share in the final three months, having said in July it would stop giving numerical quarterly sales and EPS expectations in the near future.
Chief Financial Officer Rick Simonson said last month that handset operating margins would be higher in the third quarter than the previous three months, when they were just over 13 percent, compared to Nokia's medium-term target of 17-18 percent.
Also in the spotlight will be average sales prices (ASPs), down at 105 euros in the second quarter from 110 in the first.
That downward price trend is seen likely to continue because of Nokia's drive for sales of cheaper models in developing countries - where it is market leader - and tougher competition in more mature markets.
But Nokia said last month ASPs fell in the third quarter less than it had expected, citing strong sales in Europe as people upgrade their phones to new, fancier models.
The analysts polled by Reuters expected average sales prices of 104 euros for the period, and some expect fourth-quarter ASPs to be propped up by telecoms operators marketing more expensive models in the run-up to Christmas.
Nokia also pointed to tight cost controls as contributing to its raised earnings forecast, adding that it expected net sales between 8.4 and 8.5 billion euros for the third quarter, compared to its previous forecast of 7.9-8.2 billion euros.
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