The Zacks Friday Finish Line Highlights: Facebook, Activision, Square, Electronic Arts, Square

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL—September 30, 2016—Zacks Friday Finish Line is a podcast hosted weekly by Zacks Editor Maddy Johnson and Content Writer Ryan McQueeney that takes on the week’s biggest news from the financial and investment world.

Earnings Roundup: Facebook, Starbucks, Activision, & More

Welcome to Episode #20 of the Zacks Friday Finish Line Podcast!

Facebook Q3 Earnings

The hosts started off the episode with a breakdown of social networking giant Facebook Inc.’s (NASDAQ:FB) third quarter financial results. The company beat on both the top and bottom lines, with revenues gaining 56% year-over-year. Mobile users continued to grow: mobile DAUs were 1.09 billion on average, increasing 22% year-over-year, while mobile MAUs were 1.66 billion, growing 20% year-over-year.

Activision Q3 Earnings

Maddy and Ryan moved on to Activision Blizzard’s (NASDAQ:ATVI) third quarter results. The video game publisher posted an earning beat, and while Activision’s Q3 sales figure beat its own forecast, it missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate due to new SEC reporting practices that the video game industry is following. Activision also reported 483 million monthly active users for the quarter.

Square Q3 Earnings

Next, the hosts discussed electronic payments company Square Inc.’s (NYSE:SQ) third quarter results. Square beat estimates on both the top and bottom lines; revenues gained 32% year-over-year (including revenue from Starbucks). Gross Payment Volume (GPV) for the third quarter was $13.2 billion, up 39% year over year.

Electronic Arts Q2 Earnings

Maddy and Ryan then talked about video game giant Electronic Arts Inc.’s (NASDAQ:EA) second quarter fiscal 2017 results, and the company posted both earnings and revenue beats. EA highlighted the performance of its EA Sports division. Over the trailing twelve-months, net sales from FIFA, Madden, and Hockey Ultimate Team are up 15%. EA, however, provided weak full-year guidance, sending its stock sliding.

Starbucks Q4 Earnings

The hosts wrapped up with coffee king Starbucks Corp.’s (NASDAQ:SBUX) fourth quarter results. The company reported top and bottom line beats, with revenues growing 16% year-over-year. Starbucks reported that comparable store sales were up 5% in the Americas, 4% in the U.S., 6% in China, and 4% globally. Its new Mobile Order and Pay feature looks like a success for the company, as it represented about 6% of U.S. transactions, up 5% from the prior quarter.

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