JPMorgan Updates Video Game Industry Coverage, Taps Roblox As Top Pick

JPMorgan analysts said they are encouraged by mobile gaming trends and expect spending on consoles to improve next year driven by a strong game slate.

The research firm updated its coverage on video game companies, including Roblox Corp. RBLX, Applovin Corp. APP and Electronic Arts Inc. EA ahead of their third-quarter earnings reports. 

Roblox: JPMorgan pointed to Roblox as one of the firm's favorite names in the video game industry due to its combination of healthy engagement trends, ads/commerce business ramping and free cash flow seen as compounding at 30% through 2027. 

The analysts also highlighted data suggesting Roblox's daily active users (DAUs) are tracking above estimates and potential upside to third-quarter bookings. JPMorgan maintained its Overweight rating on Roblox shares and raised the price target from $50 to $51 ahead of its earnings release on Oct. 31. 

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Applovin: JPMorgan highlighted Applovin as the leading in-app monetization platform for mobile gaming companies. The firm spoke with industry contacts who reported Applovin accounted for between 40% and 60% of their user acquisition spending. 

The analysts expect strong third-quarter results from the company due to stable growth in the mobile gaming industry, but remained neutral on the stock as the firm awaits evidence that Applovin can scale beyond gaming. The firm maintained its Neutral rating on Applovin, but raised the price target considerably, from $57 to $160. 

Electronic Arts: The firm pointed to EA's position as the largest pure-play game publisher in the industry that "increasingly favors scale and the largest IP" portfolio. The firm maintained its Neutral rating and $155 price target and said it is looking for "more consistent execution on non-sports titles" from the company. 

Electronic Arts will be the first from the group to report its quarterly results on Oct. 29 after the market close. The Street estimates the company will report earnings of $2.02 per share on revenue of $2.036 billion, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

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