How EA Is Holding On After Big Q4 Earnings Miss

May 8, 2019 by Chris Lange

When Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) reported its most recent quarterly results after the markets closed on Tuesday, the company said that it had $0.69 in earnings per share (EPS) and $1.24 billion in revenue. Consensus estimates had called for $0.98 in EPS and $1.2 billion in revenue, and the fiscal fourth quarter of last year reportedly had EPS of $1.95 on $1.25 billion in revenue.

During the latest quarter, digital net bookings for the trailing 12 months was $3.722 billion, up 5% year over year, and represents 75% of total net bookings.

Also in the quarter, the firm launched Apex Legends, which has been wildly successful as a competitor to the likes of Fortnite and PubG.

For the full year, more than 45 million unique players engaged in FIFA 19 and FIFA 18 on console and PC, while active players in the Sims 4 increased 35% year over year.

Looking ahead to the 2020 fiscal full year, the company expects to see EPS of $8.56 and revenues of $5.375 billion. Consensus estimates call for $4.49 in EPS and $5.16 billion in revenue for the year.

CEO Andrew Wilson commented:

FY20 will be a year of continued growth for our industry, and we’re excited to bring more great entertainment to the expanding audience around the world. Players are engaging with games in more ways than ever before. We’re committed to meeting them where they are with a broad portfolio of amazing new games and live services, choice of engagement models including free-to-play and subscriptions, and new opportunities to play, compete and watch.

Shares of EA were last seen up less than 2% at $94.35, in a 52-week range of $73.91 to $151.26. The consensus price target is $104.11.