Strong sales of ‘Red Dead’ push Take-Two to 3rd-quarter profit, sharply higher revenue

Take-Two posts 3Q profit, revenue soars

NEW YORK — Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. posted better-than-expected results for its fiscal third quarter Thursday, reversing a loss as revenue more than tripled thanks to largely to strong sales of “Red Dead Redemption.”

The company also raised its guidance and now expects to turn an adjusted profit in fiscal 2010. It will be the first time in nearly a decade that Take-Two posts a yearly profit without the launch of a new “Grand Theft Auto” game. The game has been Take-Two’s reliable cash cow, but the company has been working to expand its portfolio so it’s not dependent on the franchise.

Shares of the New York-based company surged in after-hours trading on the news.

For the three months ended July 31, the company earned $5.9 million, or 7 cents per share, up from a net loss of $56.5 million, or 73 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier.

Excluding stock options expenses and other items, adjusted earnings were 28 cents per share in the latest quarter.

Revenue more than tripled to $354.1 million from $94.9 million.

Analysts, on average, were expecting a loss of 8 cents per share on revenue of $298.1 million, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters.

“We are obviously really, really pleased,” CEO Ben Feder said in an interview. Turning a profit in a year without a new GTA, he added, had been one of the paramount goals of the company’s current management. Feder and Chairman Strauss Zelnick took the helm of Take-Two in 2007.

Take-Two said it has sold more than 6.9 million units of “Red Dead Redemption” worldwide since its launch in May. Older games, including “NBA 2K10″ and “Grand Theft Auto IV” also boosted sales along with digitally downloadable content.

For the current quarter, Take-Two is forecasting adjusted earnings of 20 cents to 30 cents per share on revenue of $270 million to $320 million.

Analysts expect a loss of 12 cents per share on revenue of $238.9 million for the fourth quarter.

For the full year, Take-Two expects adjusted earnings of 60 cents to 70 cents per share on revenue of $1.05 billion to $1.1 billion.

Analysts are expecting a full-year loss 12 cents per share on revenue of $968.2 million.

Take-Two’s shares jumped $1.11, or 12.5 percent, to $9.96 in after-hours trading. The stock had closed up 29 cents, or 3.4 percent, at $8.85.