Activision Blizzard (ATVI)

Activision Blizzard, Inc. is a US company involved in the creation and distribution of content and services for game consoles, personal computers (PCs) and mobile devices. It was founded in 2008 following the merger of Activision and Vivendi. The company’s shares are traded on the US tech exchange Nasdaq, and are included in the S&P 500 index.

With products that span a variety of different game genres — including first-person shooters, action/adventure, role-playing, strategy and more — the company is credited with developing numerous massive franchises such as Call of Duty, Tony Hawk, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero and Crash Bandicoot. 

There are currently 384 million active users of the company’s products, each of whom spend approximately 50 minutes a day playing them, which is comparable to the average amount of time spent on social media. 

Its headquarters is located in Santa Monica, California (US) and its CEO is Robert A. Kotick.

Ratings

S&P Global Ratings recently upgraded Activision Blizzard, Inc.’s issuer rating to “BBB+” with stable outlook.

Meanwhile, Moody’s has also upgraded Activision Blizzard, Inc.’s issuer rating to “Baa2” with stable outlook.

Share price movements

Back in 2013, Activision Blizzard, Inc.’s share price began to skyrocket. After starting around the $11 mark, by October 2018, it had reached an all-time high of $84.68. It then began to fall sharply and, over the first quarter of 2019, it eventually settled at around $45. 

Financial report

According to its 2018 figures, the company’s turnover grew by almost 7% to reach $7.5 billion, with its net profit quintupling to $1.81 billion. For this same period, it generated $2.35 of EPS and posted net liabilities of $2.67 billion or one quarter of its total capital.