Cyber Monday Deal: Up to 60% off InvestingProCLAIM SALE

GameStop profit forecast misses Street on weak demand for consoles

Published 26/03/2015, 21:39
© Reuters. The GameStop store sign is seen at its shop in Westminster
MSFT
-
GME
-

(Reuters) - GameStop Corp (NYSE:GME) forecast a weaker-than-expected profit for the full year, as demand for the new PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles fail to make up for falling sales of earlier versions.

Shares of the world's largest retailer of video game products, which also reported a quarterly profit that missed estimates, fell 5 percent in extended trading.

Demand for Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT)'s Xbox One and Sony Corp's PlayStation 4 consoles cooled off in recent months after the holiday shopping season. Both consoles were launched in November 2013.

GameStop's new video game hardware sales fell 30.2 percent to $808.8 million (544.7 million pounds) in the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, lower than the $844.8 million analysts had expected, according to market research firm FactSet StreetAccount.

Console hardware declined 5 percent in February, as gains in eighth-generation console sales could not offset the 41 percent loss in dollar sales of seventh-generation hardware, market research firm NPD said in an email.

The eighth-generation video game consoles include Nintendo's Wii U, Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One. These followed the seventh-generation Nintendo's Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

GameStop forecast earnings of $3.60-$3.80 per share for full year ending January 2016. Analysts on average were expecting $4.04 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

GameStop said it expects a strong dollar to have a negative impact of about $300 million to $400 million on sales and 6 to 9 cents per share on profit for the full year.

Net income rose to $244.1 million, or $2.23 per share, in the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31 from $220.5 million, or $1.89 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items, the company earned $2.15 per share.

Total global sales fell to $3.48 billion from $3.68 billion. Comparable store sales fell 1.8 percent.

Analysts on average expected earnings of $2.17 per share on revenue of $3.6 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

© Reuters. The GameStop store sign is seen at its shop in Westminster

GameStop's shares closed at $38.79 on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. The stock has fallen about 8 percent in the six months to Thursday's close.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.