Brean Capital Thinks Take-Two Interactive Software Needs To Step Up Its Game

In a report published Monday, Brean Capital analyst Todd Mitchell reiterated a Hold rating on Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO).In the report, Brean Capital noted, “Take-Two will need to step up its digital game to drive EPS in fiscal 2015. We expect management to take a victory lap after its record breaking launch of Grand Theft Auto 5 when Take-Two reports F4Q14 results on Tuesday night. We look for F4Q14 results to meet, or beat, guidance, capping off estimated fiscal 2014 revenue of $2.4 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $4.15."Looking past GTA, we believe Take-Two will wait another year for the installed base of next gen consoles to grow before releasing the next Red Dead. Our preliminary fiscal 2015 estimates are for net revenue of $1.5 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $1.45, We assume titles from two established franchises and an intriguing new IP in addition to the company's annualized releases. However, we believe the key cog will be the company's ability to leverage GTA Online as well as full game downloads and DLC for its lineup."Take-Two has had a lot of success in this regard with games like Borderlands; however, the company's monetization strategy for GTA 5 remains murky. Consequently, we maintain our Hold rating on TTWO at current levels.”Take-Two Interactive Software closed on Friday at $20.38.