Arete Upgrades Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO) to Buy

Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO) was upgraded by research analysts at Arete from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $284.00 price target on the stock. Arete’s target price points to a potential upside of 15.06% from the stock’s current price.

TTWO has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Take-Two Interactive Software from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 2nd. Arete Research lowered Take-Two Interactive Software from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. DA Davidson upped their target price on Take-Two Interactive Software from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Take-Two Interactive Software in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Take-Two Interactive Software from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.65.

Take-Two Interactive Software Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Take-Two Interactive Software stock opened at $246.83 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $249.97 and a 200-day moving average of $240.13. Take-Two Interactive Software has a 52-week low of $177.35 and a 52-week high of $264.79. The stock has a market cap of $45.61 billion, a PE ratio of -10.31, a PEG ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 0.96.

Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. Take-Two Interactive Software had a negative net margin of 72.92% and a positive return on equity of 7.33%. The business’s revenue was up 33.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($2.08) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Take-Two Interactive Software will post 0.97 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ellen F. Siminoff sold 414 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.25, for a total value of $101,947.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $739,488.75. This represents a 12.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jon J. Moses sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.57, for a total transaction of $239,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,901 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,246,822.57. The trade was a 4.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,421 shares of company stock valued at $588,612. 1.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TTWO. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Take-Two Interactive Software by 25.5% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $766,000 after acquiring an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Take-Two Interactive Software by 46.0% in the 1st quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,128,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Take-Two Interactive Software by 14.1% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 23,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,939,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Take-Two Interactive Software by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 14,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,931,000 after buying an additional 1,803 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Take-Two Interactive Software in the first quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Institutional investors own 95.46% of the company’s stock.

Take-Two Interactive Software Company Profile

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc develops, publishes, and markets interactive entertainment solutions for consumers worldwide. It develops and publishes action/adventure products under the Grand Theft Auto, LA Noire, Max Payne, Midnight Club, and Red Dead Redemption names, as well as other franchises.