Analysts turn bearish on Ubisoft as shares slump

Investing.com -- Analysts have turned bearish on Ubisoft as the gaming giant's shares slumped following disappointing financial guidance and delays in key game releases.

Ubisoft shares fell by more than 4% on Wednesday before an over 13% decline in Thursday's session. Several investment banks downgraded their ratings for the company, citing execution risks and mounting competition in the gaming industry.

HSBC cut Ubisoft to Hold from Buy, slashing its price target to EUR10.80 from EUR32.00.

The firm pointed to the poor reception of Star WarsOutlaws and delays to Assassin's Creed Shadows as key factors.

"Execution risks around extracting value show limited signs of easing," HSBC analysts noted, adding that the company's operational challenges remain unresolved despite past turnarounds.

The firm expressed doubts about how Ubisoft would address these issues , despite a planned operational review .

Deutsche Bank also downgraded Ubisoft to Hold, lowering its price target to EUR15.00 from EUR24.00. The bank noted that Ubisoft's FY25 net bookings guidance had been reduced to €1.95 billion, a significant drop from prior expectations of €2.42 billion.

The delay of Assassin's Creed Shadows and the weaker-than-anticipated performance of Star Wars Outlaws were key reasons for the downgrade.

"The delay to AC Shadows is incrementally disappointing," the analysts wrote, adding that new competition from upcoming titles like Ghost of Yoteicould pose further challenges.

Exane BNP Paribas (OTC:BNPQY ) followed suit, downgrading Ubisoft to Neutral from Outperform and cutting its price target to EUR14.50 from EUR32.00.

"We upgraded Ubisoft to Outperform a year ago, but our thesis has not played out," wrote the bank.

The firm expressed concerns about Ubisoft's upcoming releases, reducing its sales expectations for Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin's Creed Shadows due to intensifying competition in 2025, including the highly anticipated release of GTA 6. "We remain hopeful that AC Shadows can deliver,  but we prefer to reduce unit estimates to 9m vs 10m," the analysts said.

Source: Investing.com