Video Game Industry Stocks Why Is Electronic Arts More Expensive Than Activision

I was looking through gaming stocks and noticed that shares of Electronic Arts (ERTS) are trading at a much higher valuation than Activision Blizzard (ATVI). That made me wonder, Does Electronic Arts deserve to trade at a premium to Activision?

Electronic Arts is trading just under $20 per share. EPS estimates for 2010 are 43 cents per share and 62 cents for 2011. That equates to a 46 multiple on current years earnings and a 32 multiple for 2011. The 5 year growth rate is 12.8%, which is pretty optimistic considering the negative earnings growth of the past five years. Its tough to have faith in Electronics Arts management considering the poor operating efficiency. Management has graced us with a negative ROE and ROA over the past few quarters.

One of the bright spots for Electronic Arts is the companys storied brand name and solid balance sheet. Electronic Arts has cash cow franchises Madden NFL, The Sims, Battlefield, Rock Band, etc. The software developer has $1.78 billion in cash and no debt. The stock looks expensive using any valuation method including price to book and price to sales. Shares of Electronic Arts appear to be benefitting from improving trends in the video game industry. Video game sales rose 10% last month.

Activision Blizzard is trading just under $12.00 and has a expected EPS of 73 cents for 2010 and 82 cents for 2011. 2010s PE ratio is 16 and 2011s is 14.5. Earnings growth is estimated at 14.6%. Activision raised 1st quarter guidance last week due to strong sales from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. While ROA and ROE are not very impressive, at least both numbers are positive for Activision. The management team has done a qualitative job at Activision with its acquisitions and ability to consistently grow the bottom line.

Compare this with Electronic Arts who has been trying to fix its internal problems for years. Activision has no debt and $3.25 billion in cash on its balance sheet. Shares are currently trading less than 1.5 times book value. Activision has a popular lineup of games including World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and Starcraft.

Chinese Lingerie And Intimate Wear Industry Market Overview

Lingerie industry is in a state of intense competition. Fashionable and price friendly lingerie’s are sold by the manufacturers while global brands are looking for new markets. International specialty brands are at their wings; seeking entry into emerging markets for future growth. Current global market for lingerie’s rose by 2.6% to $29.92 billion USD from 2004 to 2007, while clothing prices dropped down by 4%. China, as an emerging market has seen a growth rate of 8.1% during the same time. Fast fashion retailers are now offering fashionable intimate apparels at lower prices and are undertaking hardcore marketing efforts to sustain their brand image in China. On the other hand, China itself is a major exporter of apparels to the global market at competitive prices.

Chinese Lingerie Market:

Chinese lingerie market is a dynamic sector. Their market structure is composed of many national and international brands, and intimate apparels are brought in by many countries; names unknown to the consumer.
The country’s lingerie market is a fast moving one, and there is a drastic change during the recent past. The lingerie market is estimated to be of a total value of 2 billion euros, and industry experts predict a further positive increase of 20% every year. The country is the third largest for luxury consumption, and is assumed by the market leaders to catch up with the position of Japan in the next 10 years. China is a key player in fabric industry, having good potential for creation and consumption. Major lingerie players in China have reassessed their market positions, and are now closing the knowledge gap to become ‘low cost’ producers.

Integral Apparel in the Wardrobe of Chinese Women:

As Chinese lingerie manufacturers eye the global market, rest of the world eyes China. Shanghai is in the forefront of the lingerie boom. Lingerie is progressively becoming one desirable item in the wardrobe of Chinese women. A survey states that an average Chinese woman spends 8% of their fashion budget on lingerie annually. Though 8% appears to be meager, China is populated with 503 million women and the huge numbers are promising. From lavishness, luxury lingerie’s have now become a wardrobe necessity. A lingerie industry survey states that Chinese population consists of more than 200 million women in the age limit of using lingerie, the annual consumption would go beyond 600 million pieces, reaching a sales figure of 15 million RMB.

Exports-The Lacy Lingerie Race:

Encompassing promising prospects in the global market, lingerie industries in China are actively seeking opportunities to expand its domestic market overseas. On an average, the country exports around 4 billion pieces of lingerie; annually. They export intimate wears mainly to France, US, Japan, and Europe. Export of Chinese bras rose as high as 10.5 million; i.e., 93% after the EU ended a 40 year quota system. China enjoys a good market in US as a lingerie exporter. Its performance is on a high base capturing 25% of exports to US. Despite the restrictions on US exports to China, the communist giant is expected to become the third largest exporter to US. China, enfolded with continuous enhancement in technology, makes it a cost effective destination for other countries to have their production base offshore. China along with India is projected to increase its global market share by $100 million USD each in the next few years.

Leading Intimate Wear Hubs:

The city of Shenzhen is considered as the ‘fashion capital’ of China. It is a pedestal of domestic and foreign intimate wears, designing, R&D, and manufacturing of lingerie’s. The economic benefits acquired and the market size favor Shenzhen and draws continuous attention of the investors. Many popular brands sold in the global market are being exported from the Pearl River Delta, especially Shenzhen. The ‘Sun Hing Group’ who manufacture 70% of its lingerie accessories in Asia, the ‘YKK’, a fortune 500 company, and ‘Regina Miracle’ all have their manufacturing base in Shenzhen. The city has a perfectly formed industry chain starting from design to production, marketing, and sales both at the domestic and export level. A renowned lingerie brand has launched its outlet in Shenzhen especially because of its cluster effect which will enhance brand promotion and boost sales. Two of the popular Chinese lingerie brands come from Shenzhen, and almost 10 internationally reputed lingerie brands have their production base here. Topform, Calvin Klein, Triumph, Regina Miracle, and Victoria’s Secret are a few to name. Embry Form, Xusany, Venies, Ordifen etc are a few domestic brands, having their manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen and enjoy a nation wide reputation.

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The Specialization Of The Construction Industry

Today’s Construction industry has become quite competitive. Contractors are required to me efficient, cheap, and punctual. For either a new construction project, or a remodel, contractors have the challenging task of assigning the exact price for the completed work. In addition to the obvious cost calculations for the material costs such as foundation materials, lumber, roofing, doors and windows, cabinets, carpet, paint, appliances, plumbing, electrical wiring, landscaping, and many other things, they also have to calculate the time for each task to be completed and determine the labor costs for the construction project. In the past, one contractors quote may have varied greatly from the next, simply because of the many variables involved. Construction time was usually the target that was missed the most.

Computers and software developed for contractors has enabled contractors to work more efficiently. With the use of specialized software, contractors are able to provide more accurate quotes, and determine these figures in a much shorter amount of time. The quotes provided are usually more uniform depending on the contractors own markup.

The construction industry has become so refined, that many teams of workers are assigned to their specific task. When that task is completed, their job is done, and in comes the next team. For example, once the foundation had been built, the framing team needs to come in, followed by the plumbing team and electrical team. Next is the drywall team, the carpet team, the paint team, etc. What is impressive is that each team has specific estimating software for their stage of the construction process. T

When the electrical contractor has the plans for the building, including all the square footage figures, and all the plans and electrical needs, he can simple input all that information into his electrical estimating software, including the pricing of specific electrical fixtures and the current costs of wiring, etc., and the software will calculate the final costs, including labor. Each subcontractor has a similar process and when all taken in sync, the contractor is able to provide a total estimate for the construction project.

All of this specification results in a very efficient construction industry. Of course, you can still hire a jack of all trades builder, they still exist. Just understand that it is impossible for one person to be an expert in every process, as well as being an expert in the use of all the software available. His estimates will be more variable. Either way, the numbers should make sense to you, and everything, including the time table, needs to be put into writing.

How To Become Financially Wealthy In The Insurance Industry!

When I started out selling in insurance, I never dreamed I would get to the level of income that I enjoy today. As in most professional sales careers, when you perfect your sales and prospecting techniques, your ability to earn a great living will follow. But, even then, you are still far from the peak of the mountain top in income potential.

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The traditional growth path for most agents who eventually become MGA’s, IMO’s, etc, has been to learn and perfect their sales and prospecting techniques over time, then take the next step to position themselves to earn additional income from teaching other newer agents what they have already learned. However, getting to the point of qualifying for an MGA or other marketing type contracts for multiple carriers can take years to accomplish. In addition, the start up overhead expenses and required resources can be very costly.

What if you had available to you right now a complete system that provides all the products, resources, training, compensation structure and opportunity to due exactly what I am talking about right now. Start creating Leverage today, even before you’ve perfected your own sales and prospecting, even though you do not have any MGA, IMO, FMO or NMO sales contracts.

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