Is Nokia a Buy Now?

With shares of Nokia (NYSE:NOK) trading around $8, is NOK an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Nokia operates as a mobile communications company worldwide. It designs and develops mobile products and services; provides digital map information and related location-based content and services for mobile navigation devices, automotive navigation systems and Internet-based mapping applications; and provides mobile- and fixed-network infrastructure, communications, and networks service platforms, as well as professional services and business solutions to operators and service providers. Nokia operates in three segments: Devices & Services, HERE, and Nokia Siemens Networks.

The smartphone maker Nokia may not have officially revealed plans for making android devices, but rumors about the firm's first android based handset, thought to be codenamed Normandy, are buzzing again. Earlier, a report had claimed that the company might launch the Normandy in 2014 and described the Nokia Normandy efforts as full steam ahead. The report also revealed that the firm has been working on a forked or fully tailored version of android.

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart Are Strong

Nokia stock has been trending higher in the last several months. The stock is currently trading near highs for the year and looks set to continue this path. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, Nokia is trading above its rising key averages, which signal neutral to bullish price action in the near-term.

(Source: Thinkorswim)

Taking a look at the implied volatility (red) and implied volatility skew levels of Nokia options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

	Implied Volatility (IV)	30-Day IV Percentile	90-Day IV Percentile
Nokia options	42.76%	16%	13%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a minimal amount of call and put options contracts, as compared to the last 30 and 90 trading days.

	Put IV Skew	Call IV Skew
January Options	Flat	Average
February Options	Flat	Average

As of today, there is an average demand from call buyers or sellers and low demand by put buyers or high demand by put sellers, all neutral to bullish over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a minimal amount of call and put option contracts and are leaning neutral to bullish over the next two months.

On the next page, let’s take a look at the earnings and revenue growth rates and the conclusion.

E = Earnings Are Mixed Quarter-Over-Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. Also, the last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions help gauge investor sentiment on Nokia’s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and revenue growth (Y-O-Y) figures for Nokia look like and more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

	2013 Q3	2013 Q2	2013 Q1	2012 Q4
Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)	-91.96%	100.00%	13.64%	-87.10%
Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)	-18.31%	-40.38%	-23.40%	-20.68%
Earnings Reaction	10.37%	-0.24%	-12.93%	-8.92%

Nokia has seen mixed earnings and decreasing revenue figures over the last four quarters. From these numbers, the markets have had conflicting feelings about Nokia’s recent earnings announcements.

P = Excellent Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has Nokia stock done relative to its peers, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY), Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), and sector?

	Nokia	Apple	BlackBerry	Ericsson	Sector
Year-to-Date Return	98.89%	9.24%	-37.90%	21.40%	23.90%

Nokia has been a relative performance leader, year-to-date.

Conclusion

Nokia develops and delivers communications products to consumers and companies worldwide. The company might launch the Normandy in 2014 and described the Nokia Normandy efforts as full steam ahead. The stock has moved higher in recent months and is currently trading near highs for the year. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been mixed while revenues have been decreasing which has produced conflicting feelings among investors. Relative to its peers and sector, Nokia has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for Nokia to OUTPERFORM.