Arete Research Downgrades SEA (NYSE:SE) to Hold

Key Points

• SEA's stock rating was downgraded by Arete Research from a "strong-buy" to a "hold," reflecting a shift in analysts' outlook.
• Despite the downgrade, several other firms maintain strong ratings for SEA, with the average rating being a "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $173.99.
• SEA reported $5.26 billion in revenue for its latest quarter, exceeding estimates but missed earnings per share expectations by $0.38.

Arete Research cut shares of SEA (NYSE:SE - Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $170.00 price objective on shares of SEA in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of SEA from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Arete lowered shares of SEA from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $177.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of SEA from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $190.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Loop Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price (up from $165.00) on shares of SEA in a report on Thursday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, SEA currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $173.99.

SEA Trading Up 1.0%

SE traded up $1.91 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $191.62. The stock had a trading volume of 4,429,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,707,325. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 99.29 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.55. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $164.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $148.32. SEA has a 52 week low of $75.91 and a 52 week high of $192.28.

SEA (NYSE:SE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 12th. The Internet company based in Singapore reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.03 by ($0.38). The firm had revenue of $5.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5 billion. SEA had a net margin of 6.23% and a return on equity of 13.66%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 38.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that SEA will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SEA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SE. Smithfield Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of SEA during the first quarter worth $25,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in SEA by 552.0% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 163 shares of the Internet company based in Singapore's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Sava Infond d.o.o. bought a new position in SEA in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its position in SEA by 100.0% in the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the Internet company based in Singapore's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in SEA in the first quarter valued at $28,000. 59.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About SEA

Sea Ltd. is an internet and mobile platform company, which engages in the provision of online gaming services. It operates through the following segments: Digital Entertainment, E-Commerce, and Digital Financial Services. The Digital Entertainment segment offers and develops mobile and PC online games.