Ericsson CEO Hits Stride as Turnaround Rewards Investor Patience

In Borje Ekholm’s first year leading Ericsson AB, he asked investors for patience several times as the company struggled to reverse years of dwindling market share and strategic missteps. Ericsson’s stock surged as much as 11 percent on Wednesday after profitability improved at a quicker pace than analysts had estimated for the second straight quarter at the Swedish maker of wireless networks. After years of falling sales, the company’s networks unit saw an increase in revenue, driven by North America, where all major carriers are preparing for fifth-generation networks.