Unity Software Inc. (NYSE:U – Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $42.46, but opened at $48.06. Unity Software shares last traded at $46.3890, with a volume of 15,145,550 shares trading hands.
The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by $0.41. Unity Software had a negative net margin of 28.97% and a positive return on equity of 4.64%. The business had revenue of $622.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $567.03 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.20 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year.
Key Stories Impacting Unity Software
Here are the key news stories impacting Unity Software this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 32.2% year over year to $622.1 million, topping the $567 million consensus. Earnings per share of $0.44 also exceeded estimates of $0.03, while Unity reported $122 million in GAAP net income versus a $127 million loss a year earlier. Unity Q3 financial results
- Positive Sentiment: Management’s fourth-quarter guidance came in well above Wall Street expectations, adding to optimism that recent business momentum can continue. Coverage highlighted Unity’s Vector advertising business as a key contributor to growth and profitability. Unity earnings and guidance
- Neutral Sentiment: Unity’s PvX partnership gives eligible studios access to user-acquisition financing and advertising support, potentially directing more marketing activity through Unity’s ecosystem. The deal may support longer-term growth, but it was announced before the earnings report and was not the main immediate catalyst. Unity user-acquisition funding
- Negative Sentiment: Some coverage cautioned that Unity’s creator-tools business is slowing as advertising becomes more important to results. A separate valuation analysis also argued the shares may be expensive, raising the risk that strong expectations are already reflected in the stock. Unity business trends
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on U shares. HSBC upgraded Unity Software from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $47.10 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Unity Software from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Unity Software from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Unity Software from $40.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Unity Software from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $30.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $48.86.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, COO Alexander Blum sold 43,556 shares of Unity Software stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.51, for a total transaction of $1,895,121.56. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 661,855 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,797,311.05. This trade represents a 6.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Rebecca Boyden sold 1,032 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.32, for a total value of $46,770.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 308,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,977,277.16. This trade represents a 0.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 109,547 shares of company stock worth $4,884,202 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unity Software
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atreides Management LP acquired a new position in Unity Software in the 2nd quarter valued at about $292,826,000. Resolute Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unity Software by 473.3% during the 2nd quarter. Resolute Advisors LLC now owns 4,766,219 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,219,000 after buying an additional 3,934,840 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Unity Software by 9,886.8% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,645,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,260,000 after buying an additional 2,618,522 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Unity Software by 52.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,245,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,465,962 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Unity Software by 4.7% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 2,334,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,726,000 after acquiring an additional 105,268 shares during the last quarter. 73.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Unity Software Stock Up 10.4%
The company has a market capitalization of $20.64 billion, a PE ratio of -34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 2.08. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $42.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.76.
About Unity Software
Unity Software Inc develops software and services for creating, operating and monetizing interactive, real-time content. Its core product is the Unity engine, a development platform used to build video games and experiences for mobile devices, personal computers, consoles, augmented and virtual reality systems, and other platforms.
The company also provides tools and services that support the development and operation of interactive applications, including collaboration and cloud-based development tools, multiplayer and voice communication capabilities, analytics, advertising, and in-app monetization solutions.
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