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Activision Blizzard ( ATVI ) shares gapped up Friday on better-than-expected first-quarter earnings thanks to a boost from newly acquired mobile game publisher King Digital Entertainment. Activision late Thursday said it earned 23 cents a share excluding items on adjusted sales of $908 million in the March quarter. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the Santa Monica, Calif.-based video game publisher to earn 12 cents a share on sales of $813 million. On a year-over-year basis, earnings per share rose 44% and revenue 29%. Activision raised its full-year sales and earnings outlook. Activision stock was up over 6%, above 37, in early afternoon trading on the stock market today , and touched a 2016 high. Activision stock hit a record high of 39.93 on Dec. 29. First-quarter results benefited from the launch of King’s “Candy Crush Jelly Saga” and continued strong sales of “Call of Duty: Black Ops 3” and associated downloadable content. For the current quarter, Activision expects to earn 38 cents a share ex items, up 192% year over year, on sales of $1.38 billion, up 81%. For the year, Activision projects $1.78 EPS, up 35%, on sales of $6.28 billion, up 36%. Analysts Hike Activision Price Targets At least seven Wall Street analysts raised their price targets on Activision stock after the company’s Q1 report. UBS analyst Eric Sheridan reiterated his buy rating on Activision and raised his price target to 42 from 36. “Activision exceeded expectations across the board, highlighting the strength of engagement and monetization across its portfolio and demonstrating a successful integration of King,” Sheridan said in a report. Activision purchased King, best known for its “Candy Crush Saga” smartphone games, on Feb. 23 in a deal worth $5.9 billion. The purchase lets Activision diversify from its core business in console and PC games such as “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft.” Activision’s guidance looks conservative, especially with the upcoming launch of “Overwatch,” “World of Warcraft” expansion and King momentum, he said. Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson maintained his buy rating on Activision stock and boosted his price target to 42 from 39. “We believe (Activision’s) guidance factors in a healthy layer of conservatism,” Olson said. “The company has beaten original fiscal-year EPS outlook by an average of 19% since ’09 and, in addition to typical conservatism, Activision is positioned to make the King deal materially accretive to EPS.” Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson maintained his overweight rating on Activision and raised his price target to 41 from 36. The next big catalyst for Activision could be the May 24 launch of “Overwatch,” the first new game franchise from the Blizzard division “in a couple of decades,” Wilson said. Scalper1 News
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