Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO) Raised to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on TTWO. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Take-Two Interactive Software in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Arete Research upgraded Take-Two Interactive Software from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $284.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, December 1st. B. Riley began coverage on Take-Two Interactive Software in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 price objective for the company. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Take-Two Interactive Software in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Take-Two Interactive Software from $252.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $267.57.

Take-Two Interactive Software Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of TTWO stock opened at $243.41 on Wednesday. Take-Two Interactive Software has a fifty-two week low of $179.61 and a fifty-two week high of $264.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.98 billion, a PE ratio of -10.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $245.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $243.63.

Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.13. Take-Two Interactive Software had a positive return on equity of 12.49% and a negative net margin of 64.26%.The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($2.08) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 33.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Take-Two Interactive Software will post 0.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ellen F. Siminoff sold 414 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.95, for a total value of $97,683.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $640,840.20. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael Sheresky sold 182 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.11, for a total transaction of $42,790.02. Following the transaction, the director owned 65,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,465,770.91. This represents a 0.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Take-Two Interactive Software

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TTWO. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new position in Take-Two Interactive Software in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Take-Two Interactive Software by 101.9% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Take-Two Interactive Software by 115.7% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Take-Two Interactive Software in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Take-Two Interactive Software in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.46% of the company’s stock.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Take-Two Interactive Software is an American video game publisher headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1993 by Ryan Brant, the company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker TTWO and is led by Chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick. Take-Two operates through distinct publishing labels that manage development, marketing and distribution of interactive entertainment for a global audience.

Take-Two’s publishing portfolio includes Rockstar Games and 2K, as well as the Private Division label, which supports independent and mid-size developers.