You may need to study some of the finer details of whats going on at NUH and the points I made prior more closely as you appear to have misrepresented and or gone off on erroneous tangential arguments on some of the issues raised.
1) Currently it is the only one with the QUH classification that truely meets the definition of self fitting, a significant % of the others currently on the market are not self fitting and essentially preset types, while others have other FDA restrictions re their classifications. “Self Fitting” is the key criteria for OTC hearing aids. It’s not just about selling online and/or at bricks and mortar.
2) A lot has changed, it’s gone from a basic preset hearing device (IQ) to a self fitting device (HP Pro). Their initial devices were really not proper audiologist quality, nor hearing aids but that has improved over time. They were essentially PSAPs. PSAP’s are for people with relatively normal hearing but who want or require amplification in certain contexts. They are not hearing aids. I do agree with you regarding their sales efforts between 2017-2020 which could have been better , they could have better developed their sales channels and been more focused and less mistake ridden. But their biggest issue was brand awareness and then trying to sell into mass consumer spaces. It appears they have learned their lesson, they have rebranded, they have established key relationships with entities such as Fuel Medical, InnerScope etc. Best Buy may not be the best place, but if you have a recognised brand, that is a different story. Nor have I ever stated that Best Buy or Walmart were the best places to sell, nor has NUH, they are a distribution channel for particular market segment. What they have actually done is quite sensible for a new market category, they have established a range of distribution channels which vary in terms of type and segment, assisted/passive and a mix of outlets and online/bricks and mortar. I stated this in my point 1 of my prior reply. With this approach they will be able to quickly see what works and what doesnt work, and thus can push on with the channels that work and drop what doesnt. Your point doesnt properly describe what is happening, in fact it misrepresents aspects of what they are doing. Their business is also no longer about just selling buds either.
3) Refer to point 2 above and point 2 and 3 in my prior reply, your argument in point 3 is largely irrelevant and amounts to “ crying over spilt milk.”. One cannot change the past and continually engaging in they “should have…” arguments carries no currency. I made that point a number of times previously. It’s what they do now that matters. And what they are doing now looks very different.
4) Neither you nor I nor anyone here knows what the substantive details are of the NUH-RealTek agreement. We will know soon. However, I have been involved and seen enough commercial deals and as well as some licensing arrangements to know that one company will not invest to become the largest shareholder in another company as well as support it just to simply sign a “licensing agreement”. It doesnt happen that way and that line of argument doesnt make any sense. Does Mediatek buy a substantial shareholding in each company they license with? No, You are applying an erroneous assumption to draw a false conclusion. There is something else at play here.
When NUH got FDA approval, the stock rallied over 100% in a few days. There were 2 things at play at the time, 1) Bergen was aggressively selling stock which capped share price rises and 2) NUH didnt have much follow on news, these 2 events capped gains. It appears things are now changing with point 2. Regarding point (1) Bergen appears not to be selling now, a quick calculation of their sales reveals that they have more than recovered the value of their convertible note and are now in for a free carry. That is not to say they may not sell at higher prices or cross up stock in the future, but that headwind that was there in Nov is greatly diminished. No one is ignoring the share price, But the market is cautiously awaiting numbers and confirmation of deals involving RealTek and potentially other OEM’s. It wont take much to move this stock very fast very far.
From what I observe, the situation is very different from what NUH was in before, even 9 months ago, it is literally the opposite, NUH is not longer just about selling buds.
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