Wedbush Maintains Neutral On LinkedIn Ahead Of Thursday's Q1 Earnings

In a report published Monday, Wedbush analysts maintained a Neutral rating on

, with a price target of $260, ahead of the company's 1Q15 results. LinkedIn is scheduled to report its 1Q15 results on April 30. The analysts expect the company to report its quarterly results at the high end of guidance, but in-line with Wedbush estimates and the consensus. LinkedIn's results for the last thirteen quarters have been higher than the upper end of its revenue and EBITDA guidance by 6 percent and 22 percent, respectively, while beating the consensus by 4 percent and 18 percent. The analysts pointed out, however, that "the magnitude of upside relative to consensus has moderated in recent quarters." In the report Wedbush noted, "We remain optimistic on the company's long-term market opportunity and positioning, however, we are maintaining our NEUTRAL as we await more clarity around the timing of uptake for the newer growth drivers (Sales Navigator, Sponsored Updates, China)." LinkedIn had previously announced its plans to acquire lynda.com, a leading e-learning company that offers educational video courses to help its users acquire new skills. The transaction is scheduled to close in 2Q. "Given lynda.com's complementary educational content, we're optimistic about the company being able to drive greater time spent on its properties over time," the report added.