THQ (NASDAQ: THQI), a video-game software publisher that competes with Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO), and my personal favorite, Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), lost well over 6% of its market value during Tuesday's after-hours trading session. The culprit catalyst? First-quarter earnings.

I was a bit surprised by the sell-off at first. After all, sales increased over 77%, and earnings per share on an adjusted basis came in at 10 cents versus a loss of 38 cents one year ago. That sounds awesome on the surface, as does the fact that Reuters says the market was actually expecting a loss of 6 cents per share!

Continue reading THQ powers past estimates in Q1, but should stock be sold?

THQ powers past estimates in Q1, but should stock be sold? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sumner Redstone, the executive chairman of both CBS (NYSE: CBS) and Viacom (NYSE: VIA), has been having a difficult time during the recession. Because of financial pressures, he's been forced to sell stock assets to cover some of his debt problems. Now comes word that he's jettisoned his controlling stake in Midway Games (NYSE: MWY).

Redstone, according to The New York Times, divested himself of his Midway investment. And what a miserable investment it was. If you've followed the story of Midway Games at all, you know it's been nothing but a loser. Losses, revenue declines, and questions about the quality of the publisher's software pipeline seemed to always plague the earnings reports.

Redstone's stake was once worth $700 million. Know what he sold that stake for? $100,000 plus the assumption of debt valued at $70 million. Talk about a lousy loss. Midway just couldn't compete against the likes of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS). You've got to wonder what Redstone saw in the company.

Continue reading Sumner Redstone sends Midway away!

Sumner Redstone sends Midway away! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and check out other Battle of the Brands posts.

My son is an Elmo addict. He has Elmo clothes, Elmo books, and Elmo toys. He insists on listening to an Elmo CD whenever he rides in my car and watches the furry Muppet almost every day on "Sesame Street." Oh yeah, he calls his binky Elmo.

And you know what? This doesn't bother me.

Sesame Street, which has been on the air for about 40 years, is still a quality show. It teaches kids the alphabet, how to count and other important lessons in an entertaining manner. The show has some aspects of Saturday Night Live to it with clever bits like having Oscar the Grouch host something called the "Grouch News Network," which featured CNN's Anderson Cooper.

I realize that his Elmo fascination won't last. My son recently discovered Mickey Mouse on one of Walt Disney Co.'s (NYSE: DIS) cable channels. Eventually, Mickey will give way to Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants on Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA) Nickelodeon.

Continue reading Battle of the Brands: Sesame Street trumps Disney and Nickelodeon

Battle of the Brands: Sesame Street trumps Disney and Nickelodeon originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 04 May 2008 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.