Research in Motion stock jumped to its highest since late 2011 after its chief executive officer said the BlackBerry maker is considering strategic options including a sale of its hardware production unit.
Possibilities include “the sale of hardware production as well as licensing of our software,” CEO Thorsten Heins was reported as saying in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt.
Nick Manning, a spokesman for the Waterloo, Ontario-based company, said those options are examples that Heins cited among the possibilities under consideration.
The company hired JPMorgan Chase and RBC Capital Markets in May to help it evaluate options.
While Heins hasn’t ruled out a sale, he has said RIM’s focus is on exploring strategic partnerships or software licensing deals.
RIM shares closed yesterday at $15.84, up 6.2 percent.