Why Did Shares of Nazara Technologies Plunge Today?

Shares of Nazara Technologies tanked 12% to Rs 1,463.8 per share on the BSE today on heavy volumes.

The fall was triggered when global brokerage CLSA initiated coverage on the stock with a sell rating and target price of Rs 1,095, citing the hefty valuations of the stock.

It had hit a high of Rs 2,026.9 apiece on its stock market debut day, 30 March 2021.

India's e-sports sector to intensify in the coming years

In Indian mobile gaming, eSports is niche sector at 10% of US$1.2 bn revenue as of calendar year 2020.

Nazara Tech, a leader in eSports in India, is targeting tournament intellectual properties (IP).

In eSports, Nazara has led with partnerships like ESL and Nodwin/Krafton as well as sponsors like Airtel for a PUBG mobile tour.

However, the competition in this sector will intensify.

Jio Games in a tie-up with MediaTek launched Gaming Masters eSports event and is partnering to bring Microsoft xCloud in India.

Competition from other top players includes MPL's skill-based eSports platform, Paytm First Games, and Dream 11, which is backed by Tencent and owns a stake in PUBG.

Nazara Technologies Makes First Acquisition Post-IPO

Gaming and sports media platform, Nazara Technologies made its first acquisition after it listed on exchanges in March this year.

The company has signed a binding term sheet to acquire West Asia and Turkey-based mobile gaming publishing agency, Publishme in a primary and secondary purchase worth US$2.7 m.

As part of the deal, Nazara will acquire 69.8% of the company, as it looks to strengthen its presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

In an exchange with media, Nazara Chief Executive Officer Manish Agarwal said -

• With this acquisition, we will further expand our international footprint in the freemium segment. Nazara will aim to build local execution capabilities cutting across key growth segments - freemium, gamified learning and esports.

He added that the acquisition will help the company in establishing itself as a key player in the region.

Agarwal said the move will also help in taking investee companies of Nazara - The 'Friends of Nazara' network - to the MENA region.

The 'Friends of Nazara' network comprises established gaming companies in which Nazara holds majority stakes and works actively with existing founders and management teams to rapidly achieve scale.

These companies include Nodwin Gaming, SportsKeeda, Next Wave Multimedia and Paper Boat Apps. Nazara will focus on markets like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE in the region.

Financial highlights for the fourth quarter of 2021

Nazara Technologies on 28 May reported consolidated profit of Rs 42 m for the quarter ended March 2021, against loss of Rs 70.2 m in the year ago quarter.

Revenue in the March quarter grew sharply by 41.7% to Rs 1.2 bn compared to the year-ago quarter.

In the financial year 2021, Nazara posted consolidated profit of Rs 136.3 m against loss of Rs 267.7 m in previous year.

Revenue shot up 83.5% to Rs 4.5 bn from Rs 2.5 bn in the same period last year.

The high growth segments of gamified early learnings and eSports have grown by 819% year on year (YoY) and 102% YoY to Rs 1.8 bn and Rs 1.7 bn, respectively.

The company further said consolidated cash and cash equivalents including liquid investments stood at Rs 4.8 bn as of March 2021, compared to Rs 2.2 bn as of March 2020.

Nazara Technologies' stellar debut on the stock exchange

The mobile gaming company is backed by ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala.

It made a stellar debut on the bourses on 30 March 2021 as the shares of the firm listed at Rs 1,990, an 81% over its issue price of Rs 1,101 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

Post-listing, it moved higher to Rs 2,026.9, up 84%.

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala held a 10.8% stake in Nazara Technologies as on 31 March 2021, the shareholding pattern data shows.

How the stock markets reacted to Nazara Technologies

Shares of Nazara Technologies opened the day at Rs 1,650 on the BSE and the NSE.

Nazara Technologies share price closed at Rs 1,517.9 (down 8.8%) on the BSE and Rs 1,517.8 (down 8.7%) on the NSE.

The share touched its 52-week high of Rs 2,026.9 on 30 March 2021.

Over the last 30 days, the Nazara Technologies share price is down 7.5%.

About Nazara Technologies

Nazara Technologies is an Indian gaming and sports media platform with a presence in India, North America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Its product portfolio includes offerings across interactive gaming, eSports, and gamified early learning ecosystems like world cricket championship & carrom clash in mobile games, Kiddopia in gamified early learning, Nodwin & SportsKeeda in eSports, as well as eSports media, Halaplay, and Qunami in skill-based, fantasy and trivia games.

The company derives revenues mainly from subscription fees paid by users for accessing gamified early learning content, as well as, from eSports business.

For more details about the company, you can have a look at Nazara Technologies factsheet and quarterly results on our website.

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