Activision Expected To Outperform The Rest Of Its Video Game Peers

Oppenheimer said in a research note released on Thursday it believes Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) will outperform its peers in the video game industry's secular shift to digital distribution and new monetization models.

Analyst Andrew Uerkwitz believes Activision's game franchises make it one of the best positioned to outperform peers in this shift. With the industry focus shifting to longer player encouragement rather than unit sales, the company's brand, gamer loyalty and scale advantage will help it to Outperform.

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Oppenheimer sees mobile and eSports as emerging opportunities. The firm clarified that its Outperform rating is based on high confidence in the company's earnings growth and margin expansion outlook and high optionality from its emerging business opportunities. Oppenheimer has a $53 price target on the shares of the company based on 22 times its 2018 non-GAAP earnings per share estimate of $2.43.

At the time of writing, Activision shares were up 1.78 percent at $43.89.

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