It may be the ultimate financial diss; the value of mobile manufacturer HTC has dipped below the value of its cash on hand. Inventory, brand, intellectual property? Worthless, the market says. Maybe even less. Bloomberg points out today that HTC’s stock is trading so low earlier today that the company’s market capitalization is less than its cash.
Not long ago, HTC said it was delaying the smart band it debuted this winter until later this year. We’ll see.
Up until a couple of years ago, HTC was a well-regarded maker of smart phones. We tested a few; they were solid interesting designs. Maybe a little bulky, but every one had strong points. Since then, though, the phone market has coalesced around just Apple and Samsung at the high end and a wealth of entry-level brands. HTC has apparently not made the cut, and analysts don’t seem to think it will.