Wedbush Expects Solid Q1 Beat from Electronic Arts

In a report published Friday, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter reiterated an Outperform rating and $43.00 price target on Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA).In the report, Wedbush noted, “We expect a Q1 beat driven by Titanfall. The high-profile game was released on Xbox One in March and on Xbox 360 in April. Also, in March, Microsoft introduced a Titanfall Xbox One bundle for $499.99. We believe combined sales were over 5 million units (2 million in Q4:14), helping EA deliver upside to the Street's Q1 expectations. We believe new releases 2014 FIFA World Cup: Brazil and EA Sports UFC were negatively impacted by mediocre reviews, with the former hurt by its current-gen exclusivity as well. However, we think strong television ratings for the World Cup drove higher than average sales of the game, suggesting slight upside. Our estimates are for revenue of $750 million and EPS of $0.00, vs. consensus of $709 million and $(0.04), and guidance of $700 million and $(0.05). Digital revenue contribution could add upside to our above consensus estimates.”Electronic Arts closed on Thursday at $37.06.