Latest news with #Wedbush
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Electronic Arts (EA) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
What Happened? Shares of video game publisher Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) jumped 3.2% in the morning session after the company received a vote of confidence from Wall Street. Analyst Alicia Reese at Wedbush reaffirmed an "Outperform" rating on the stock. An "Outperform" rating suggests the analyst believes the stock will achieve returns superior to the broader market average. After the initial pop the shares cooled down to $157.36, up 2.6% from previous close. Is now the time to buy Electronic Arts? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us Electronic Arts's shares are not very volatile and have only had 3 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today's move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business. The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 6 months ago when the stock dropped 18.8% on the news that the company reported disappointing preliminary Q3 2025 results, revealing sluggish growth. EA expected a mid-single-digit decline in live services bookings, a stark reversal from its earlier forecast of mid-single-digit growth. Net revenue was also expected to clock in at $1.883 billion, closer to the lower end of its previous guidance range of approximately $1.875 billion to $2.025 billion. The slowdown was attributed to weaker-than-expected performance in Global Football (football-related video games) and underwhelming engagement from titles like Dragon Age. Following the update, BMO downgraded the stock's rating, citing diminished visibility. The firm stated, "Despite the increasing strategic market value of Interactive Entertainment assets, we are downgrading EA to Market Perform and reducing estimates and Target Price to $145." Bank of America followed suit, downgrading the stock to Neutral, expressing doubts about EA's ability to defend its market share. Electronic Arts is up 7.9% since the beginning of the year, and at $157.36 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $167.97 from November 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Electronic Arts's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,138. Unless you've been living under a rock, it should be obvious by now that generative AI is going to have a huge impact on how large corporations do business. While Nvidia and AMD are trading close to all-time highs, we prefer a lesser-known (but still profitable) semiconductor stock benefiting from the rise of AI. Click here to access our free report on our favorite semiconductor growth story.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Wedbush Maintains a Buy on Playtika Holding (PLTK), Sets a Price Target of $11.50
Playtika Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:PLTK) is one of the . In a report released on July 1, Alicia Reese from Wedbush maintained a Buy rating on Playtika Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:PLTK) with a price target of $11.50. A close-up of a hand holding a mobile device with a gaming app open on the screen. Playtika Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:PLTK) reported an 8.6% sequential and 8.4% year-over-year growth in revenue in fiscal Q1 2025, reaching $706.0 million. DTC platforms reported $179.2 million in revenue, reflecting a 2.6% sequential growth and a 4.5% year-over-year rise. While GAAP net income for the quarter decreased 42.3% year-over-year to $30.6 million, Playtika Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:PLTK) reported $36.2 million in adjusted net income, increasing 34.1% sequentially and decreasing 39.6% year-over-year. Playtika Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:PLTK) is a developer of mobile games that owns and manages around 15 games. Its Playtika Boost Platform offers a proprietary technology that supports a portfolio of games and live game operations services. The company's offerings include casual games, casino-themed games, and free-to-play mobile games. Its game portfolio includes Slotomania, Bingo Blitz, House of Fun, Caesars Slots, World Series of Poker, Best Fiends, June's Journey, Solitaire Grand Harvest, and Board Kings. These games are available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store. While we acknowledge the potential of PLTK as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jim Cramer on AMC Entertainment: 'I Wouldn't Buy AMC Stock'
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMC) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer weighed in on. Cramer discussed the stock in light of its latest analyst coverage, as he remarked: 'Wedbush just upgraded AMC last week. AMC, yeah, lowly worm precisely because it's got so much IMAX exposure, something that can help the movie theater chain defend its market share… That said, the analyst acknowledged that, 'They do not see substantial growth in 2025, 2026, or beyond for AMC.' Personally, I wouldn't buy AMC stock. It's a money loser with a hideous balance sheet. Again, the movie theater business is in bad shape with the exception of IMAX, which is why AMC stock is down over 40% for the past 12 months while IMAX is up more than 60%.' An audience of moviegoers inside a theatre, savoring the latest cinematic experience. AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) operates movie theaters and is involved in the theatrical exhibition business, offering film screenings and related services through its owned and affiliated locations. During an April episode, when a caller asked if the stock would get back to pre-COVID growth, Cramer replied: 'No, the answer is that they should have reorganized by now, and they haven't. They have way too much debt. I want you to stay away from that one.' While we acknowledge the potential of AMC as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Wedbush Just Upgraded AMC Stock. Should You Buy, Sell, or Hold Shares Now?
Although AMC Entertainment (AMC) is far from its meme stock heyday, it seems a positive plot twist is unfolding for the movie theater operator. Wedbush analyst Alicia Reese upgraded the shares of the world's largest theater chain to 'Outperform,' raising the price target to $4 from $3. Reese's optimism stems from the fact that there is a slew of strong releases over the next several quarters, and AMC, with the 'most premium screens in North America,' is expected to be a natural beneficiary. More News from Barchart Insider Trading Alert: Here's Who Bought Nvidia and AMD Stock Before the U.S. Chip Deal with China Dear Tesla Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for July 23 Robinhood Keeps Hitting New Highs. How Should You Play HOOD Stock Here? Markets move fast. Keep up by reading our FREE midday Barchart Brief newsletter for exclusive charts, analysis, and headlines. About AMC Stock Founded in 1920, AMC Entertainment operates about 870 theaters and 9,700 screens globally. Its revenue streams include box office sales, concessions, advertising, and the distribution of concert and artist films. Valued at a market cap of $1.5 billion, AMC stock is down 10.7% on a YTD basis. So, should you follow suit and buy into Reese's bullishness around AMC? I would advise not to, and here's why. Other Avenues of Entertainment Mark Structural Shift Away From Theaters Momentary spurts notwithstanding, the shift towards streaming platforms such as Netflix (NFLX), Prime Video, and Hulu, among others, is a reality. Further, short-form content in the form of Instagram Reels and videos on YouTube and TikTok has seen massive growth in engagement over the last decade. All this has gradually but consistently eaten away at the share of theater chains like AMC as consumers increasingly opt for in-home forms of entertainment. It's not that the management has not been innovative. In fact, the company has made visible efforts to reinvigorate its theater business, both through operational upgrades and strategic rollouts. In April, it debuted two of its XL at AMC auditoriums in Kansas. These locations are equipped with expansive 40-foot-wide screens and advanced 4K laser projection, forming part of its broader AMC Go Plan. By the end of the year, the company plans to scale this offering to as many as 50 sites. Earlier in the same month, AMC also wrapped up major renovations at two of its theaters, involving several million dollars in investments. The upgrades focused on comfort, with installations of over 4,000 AMC Club Rocker seats. These offer up to 23% more width and extend legroom by as much as 10 inches, directly enhancing customer experience. Yet, these improvements appear incremental in nature and may not be sufficient to reignite consistent theater attendance. The issue isn't just foot traffic. AMC also finds itself contending with an evolving media landscape. Instant access to a vast library of content across streaming platforms has reshaped viewer behavior. Moreover, with the company's revenue often hinging on the quality and cadence of film releases from major studios, its reliance on third-party content pipelines continues to be a structural disadvantage. In fact, analyst Reese, despite turning bullish on the stock, sounded a note of caution about the theater business when she said, 'To be clear, we do not see substantial growth in 2025, 2026 or beyond. Over the next few years, we anticipate mid-to-high single-digit [percentage] growth rates in box-office revenue, followed by low-to-mid single-digit growth rates thereafter.' And then there is the case of AMC's financials. AMC Financials Are a Horror Movie AMC's financials would put any blockbuster horror movie to shame. To start, its shares are down 91.3% over the past five years. Compare this with Netflix's share price rise of 165% in the same period, and the difference is stark. In the most recent quarter, AMC continued on its path of declining revenues and widening losses. Total revenues of $862.5 million denoted a yearly decline of 9.3% with net losses widening to $202.1 million from $163.5 million in the year-ago period. Total attendance fell to 41.9 million from 46.6 million in Q1 2024. Attendance declined in both its core market of the U.S. (26.9 million, -11.8% YOY) and international markets (14.9 million, -7.1% YOY) with the average number of screens also dwindling from 9,703 in Q1 2024 to 9,430 in Q1 2025. Average ticket prices also fell to $11.30 from $11.38 in the previous year. Lastly, the company closed the first quarter with a cash balance of $378.7 million. This was considerably lower than the company's huge debt burden of $8.3 billion. Analyst Opinions on AMC Stock Overall, analysts have deemed AMC stock to be a 'Hold' with a mean target price of $3.32. This denotes downside of about 5% from current levels. Out of seven analysts covering the stock, Reese is the sole analyst with a 'Strong Buy' rating, five have a 'Hold' rating, and one has a 'Strong Sell' rating. On the date of publication, Pathikrit Bose did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why AMC Entertainment (AMC) Stock Is Trading Up Today
What Happened? Shares of theater company AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) jumped 3.2% in the morning session after analyst upgrades and a strong summer box office performance fueled investor optimism. The positive sentiment was driven by multiple Wall Street analysts upgrading the stock. Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter upgraded AMC from neutral to outperform and raised his price target, citing a more consistent upcoming film release schedule. Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey also increased his earnings forecast for the theater chain, noting the potential for "outsized potential upside." This optimism was supported by a recovering box office, with total domestic revenue up 15% year-over-year. Analysts now projected AMC's domestic ticket sales to jump significantly in the second quarter. After the initial pop the shares cooled down to $3.53, up 1.2% from previous close. Is now the time to buy AMC Entertainment? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us AMC Entertainment's shares are very volatile and have had 27 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today's move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business. The previous big move we wrote about was 7 days ago when the stock gained 8.1% on the news that the company received a bullish upgrade from analysts at Wedbush. Analyst Alicia Reese of Wedbush upgraded AMC's stock to "outperform" from "neutral," citing a more consistent movie release schedule expected over the next several quarters. The firm also raised its price target on the stock to $4.00 from $3.00. Wedbush noted that AMC is well-positioned to gain market share in 2025 and 2026. AMC Entertainment is down 12.2% since the beginning of the year, and at $3.53 per share, it is trading 33.5% below its 52-week high of $5.31 from July 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of AMC Entertainment's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $96.41. Unless you've been living under a rock, it should be obvious by now that generative AI is going to have a huge impact on how large corporations do business. While Nvidia and AMD are trading close to all-time highs, we prefer a lesser-known (but still profitable) semiconductor stock benefiting from the rise of AI. Click here to access our free report on our favorite semiconductor growth story. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
