Take-Two To Bolster Mobile Game Business With Zynga Acquisition

Video crippled steadfast Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO) connected Monday announced plans to bargain Zynga (ZNGA) successful a cash-and-stock woody worthy $12.7 billion. Zynga banal soared connected the quality but TTWO banal tumbled.

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Take-Two says the woody volition bolster its concern successful mobile games, the fastest-growing conception of the interactive amusement industry.

New York City-based Take-Two is champion known for console and PC crippled franchises specified arsenic "Grand Theft Auto," "Red Dead Redemption" and "NBA 2K." San Francisco-based Zynga makes mobile games specified arsenic "Empires & Puzzles," "Toon Blast," "Words With Friends" and "Zynga Poker."

Take-Two volition wage a full worth of $9.86 per stock for Zynga, including $3.50 successful currency and $6.36 successful shares of TTWO stock. The transaction represents a 64% premium to Zynga's closing stock terms connected Friday.

Deal Called 'Strategic Combination'

"This strategical operation brings unneurotic our best-in-class console and PC franchises, with a market-leading, diversified mobile publishing level that has a affluent past of innovation and creativity," Take-Two Chief Executive Strauss Zelnick said successful a news release. He forecast $100 cardinal of yearly outgo synergies wrong the archetypal 2 years post-closing.

The companies expect the woody to adjacent during the archetypal 4th of Take-Two's fiscal 2023, which ends connected June 30, 2022.

The acquisition volition enactment Take-Two connected a much adjacent footing with its 2 biggest rivals — Activision Blizzard (ATVI) and Electronic Arts (EA), Zelnick told Investor's Business Daily.

"We overnight go overmuch person successful standard to the 2 bigger participants successful the market," Zelnick said. "That successful crook puts america successful a presumption to person stronger operating margins. I've spoken endlessly astir the information that our diminished standard compared to our 2 larger competitors puts america astatine a disadvantage."

TTWO Stock Sinks, Zynga Soars

In day trades connected the stock marketplace today, Zynga banal rocketed 44.3% to 8.65. Meanwhile, TTWO banal plunged 14.2% to 141.21.

Mobile crippled steadfast Playtika (PLTK) roseate 8.5% to 18.26 connected speculation that it could beryllium the adjacent acquisition target.

TTWO banal and different video crippled stocks surged during the archetypal 4 quarters of the Covid-19 pandemic. Consumers spent much connected location amusement during stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus crisis. But income slowed arsenic the system reopened acknowledgment to the availability of Covid vaccines.

IBD's Computer Software-Gaming manufacture radical ranks No. 179 retired of 197 groups that IBD tracks. TTWO banal ranks 5th retired of 21 stocks successful the group, according to IBD Stock Checkup. It has a subpar IBD Composite Rating of 47 retired of 99. IBD's Composite Rating is simply a blend of cardinal cardinal and method metrics to assistance investors gauge a stock's strengths. The champion maturation stocks person a Composite Rating of 90 oregon better.

Competitive Mobile Games Market

The maturation successful mobile gaming has attracted galore caller entrants ranging from startups to companies similar net tv web Netflix (NFLX) and societal level Snap (SNAP).

Incumbent crippled publishers person augmented their portfolios done acquisitions of mobile crippled makers. For instance, Activision bought King Digital Entertainment successful 2016 and Electronic Arts bought Glu Mobile successful April 2021.

Take-Two presently gets astir 10% of its income from mobile games. After the Zynga purchase, it volition beryllium somewhat implicit 50%, Zelnick said.

TTWO banal deed a grounds precocious of 214.91 connected Feb. 8, 2021. It has been consolidating for the past 11 months.

Follow Patrick Seitz connected Twitter astatine @IBD_PSeitz for much stories connected user technology, bundle and semiconductor stocks.

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