Two U.S. growth stocks with gains ahead: Electronic Arts & Warner Music Group

Article Excerpt

Pandemic lockdowns provided Electronic Arts and Warner Music with a big boost. Electronic Arts has mostly held onto those gains, while Warner Music has given some of them back. Either way, we like their prospects for growth despite their competitive markets. Plus, each is priced for new buying. ELECTRONIC ARTS, $138.13, is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol EA; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (www.ea.com; Shares outstanding: 265.7 million; Market cap: $36.7 billion; Dividend yield: 0.6%) is a developer of video games for play on consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. Its hugely popular game franchises include Madden NFL, The Sims, Need for Speed, Battlefield, and Apex Legends. In the quarter ended March 31, 2024, Electronic Arts’ revenue decreased 4.8%, to $1.78 billion from $1.87 billion a year earlier. The drop was mainly due to the timing of new game releases. The company made $0.68 a share, compared to a loss of $0.04. The improvement came from cost controls, but also improved sales of high-profit-margin products. Meanwhile, Electronic…