Mark Pincus Only Adds More Questions For Zynga, Jefferies Says

In a report published Wednesday, Jefferies analyst Brian Pitz commented on Zynga Inc ZNGA naming its founder and Chairman Mark Pincus to replace Don Mattrick and assuming the CEO role, effective immediately. According to Pitz, the announcement is a negative as the change in management raises more questions than answers. However, the strategic direction of the company under Pincus is likely to remain largely the same with a "heads-down" focus on mobile and shouldn't impact the 2015 game lineup. The analyst also added that the company's Chief Financial Officer David Lee previously expressed confidence in the company's results, noting that "we are confident in the outlook we gave during our fourth quarter 2014 earnings call on February 12, 2015." However, if business is operating ahead of plan, as implied by the statement, investors are right to question the immediacy of the CEO change. Shares remain Buy rated with an unchanged $4.50 price target.