Zacks Research Upgrades SEA (NYSE:SE) to "Hold"

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded SEA from “strong sell” to “hold”, adding to a mixed but generally positive analyst backdrop for the stock.
• Other firms have been largely constructive: SEA currently has a Moderate Buy consensus, with a $155.54 average price target, while recent calls included a price-target boost from TD Cowen and buy/overweight ratings from several banks.
• SEA’s latest quarterly results showed revenue of $7.10 billion, topping estimates and rising 46.6% year over year, but earnings per share of $0.67 missed expectations. Insiders also sold shares recently, including COO Gang Ye and insider Yanjun Wang.

SEA (NYSE:SE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen raised their price objective on SEA from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of SEA in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of SEA in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $121.00 price objective on SEA and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on SEA from $168.00 to $163.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $155.54.

SEA Stock Performance

Shares of SE stock opened at $93.20 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $56.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.69, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.57. The company's 50 day moving average is $86.13 and its 200 day moving average is $107.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. SEA has a 52-week low of $77.05 and a 52-week high of $199.30.

SEA (NYSE:SE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The Internet company based in Singapore reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.08). SEA had a return on equity of 14.12% and a net margin of 6.41%.The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. SEA's revenue for the quarter was up 46.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that SEA will post 3.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Yanjun Wang sold 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.11, for a total transaction of $76,888.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at $653,548. The trade was a 10.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Gang Ye sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.16, for a total transaction of $961,600.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 190,000 shares in the company, valued at $18,270,400. This trade represents a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 1,660,052 shares of company stock valued at $146,135,385 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SEA

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in shares of SEA by 114.0% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 199 shares of the Internet company based in Singapore's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in shares of SEA by 539.6% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 307 shares of the Internet company based in Singapore's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SEA during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of SEA by 44.4% during the third quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 650 shares of the Internet company based in Singapore's stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of SEA by 461.5% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 657 shares of the Internet company based in Singapore's stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. 59.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SEA Company Profile

Sea Limited NYSE: SE is a Singapore-based consumer internet company that operates a trio of interconnected businesses across digital entertainment, e-commerce and digital financial services. Founded in 2009 as Garena and later rebranded as Sea, the company is headquartered in Singapore and listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Sea positions itself as a technology platform focused on enabling online consumers, merchants and developers primarily across Southeast Asia and adjacent markets.

Sea's digital entertainment arm, Garena, is a game developer and publisher that also organizes esports initiatives and operates online gaming platforms.

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