SEA (NYSE:SE) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Phillip Securities

SEA (NYSE:SE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Phillip Securities from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Sunday,Zacks.com reports.

SE has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Arete Research cut SEA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of SEA from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Barclays raised their price objective on SEA from $214.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Bank of America upgraded SEA from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $206.00 to $215.00 in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of SEA from $210.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.39.

SEA Price Performance

Shares of SE stock opened at $145.90 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $171.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.44. SEA has a 52-week low of $99.50 and a 52-week high of $199.30. The stock has a market cap of $85.95 billion, a PE ratio of 63.99 and a beta of 1.55.

SEA (NYSE:SE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 11th. The Internet company based in Singapore reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.52). SEA had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.19%. The business had revenue of $5.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.24 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 38.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that SEA will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

SEA announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Monday, November 17th that allows the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the Internet company based in Singapore to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SEA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SE. Smithfield Trust Co bought a new stake in SEA during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in SEA by 552.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its stake in SEA by 2,860.0% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 148 shares of the Internet company based in Singapore’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of SEA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in shares of SEA by 114.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 199 shares of the Internet company based in Singapore’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 59.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SEA Company Profile

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.