Shares of Giant Interactive Group Inc. (GA) slipped more than 9% today as first-quarter net profit, reported late Monday, plunged 32% on sluggish revenue.

However, adjusted earnings came in at 15 cents per American Depositary share (ADS), edging past the consensus estimate by a penny. A year ago, the company earned 20 cents.

Revenue for the online game developer fell 21% to $54.7 million, primarily due to disruptions caused by adjustments to ZT Online's monetization structure.

Giant Interactive also said that active paying accounts for online games declined 15% year over year to 1.2 million.

One of 9 covering analysts raised full-year expectations over the past month, sending the consensus up a penny to 60 cents per share.

GA, a Zacks #3 Rank ("Hold") stock, is trading on higher-than-usual volume of approximately 886,000, compared to average daily volume of about 590,000.

"GA" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? ...

Companies highlighted in this weekly wrap include Raytheon Co. (RTN), Family Dollar Stores, Inc.( FDO), Yum Brands (YUM), Giant Interactive Group Inc. (GA) and Strayer Education, Inc. (STRA).

< ?DART(15);?> Raytheon Co. (RTN) has seen a swift rebound off recent multi-year lows and compares favorably to the market over the past year. Analysts are bullish on RTN's earnings for both 2009 and 2010, calling for annual growth of 16% and 6%, respectively.

Bullish Forecasts

Current full-year earnings estimates of $4.71 per share were boosted by 16 out of 20 covering analysts from last month's projections of $4.63 per share. For the following year, 9 out of 19 covering analysts hiked earnings forecasts by a penny from last month's $5.00 per share.

The company boasts an outstanding track record of topping analysts' estimates since July

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For Immediate Release

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The four highlighted picks are: Visa, Inc. (NYSE: V), Giant Interactive Group Inc. (NYSE: GA), O'Reilly Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY) and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN).     Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Four daily picks are offered free at http://at.zacks.com/?id=88

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Giant Interactive Group Inc. (GA) is seeing upbeat earnings forecasts ahead of reporting tomorrow. The company has done well in the past, exceeding analysts' estimates by an average of 10% over the past 4 straight quarters.

< ?DART(15);?> Company Description

Giant Interactive Group, a Chinese online gaming company, boasts some of the widest revenue streams in the industry. The industry has been hot lately and GA's share price was no exception, outpacing the market as it surged nearly 20% over the past 3 months.

Focusing on multiplayer online role playing. Giant's first game, ZT Online, was voted the most popular online game in China in 2006 according to the International Data Corporation. The Company's second game, Giant Online, entered into open beta testing on March 28, 2008. Giant has three additional online games that it intends to launch, including King of Kings III, Empire of Sports and ZT Online II.

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Companies highlighted in this weekly wrap include Mastercard Inc. (...

Giant Interactive Group Inc. (GA) recently posted stellar results for the fourth quarter. Earnings per share of 18 cents, soared past analysts' estimates by 64%. Net revenue jumped 33% on a year-over-year basis.

< ?DART(15);?> Company Description

Giant Interactive Group, a Chinese online gaming company, boasts some of the widest revenue streams in the industry. The industry has been hot lately and GA's share price was no exception, outpacing the market as it surged nearly 20% over the past 3 months.

Focusing on multiplayer online role playing. Giant's first game, ZT Online, was voted the most popular online game in China in 2006 according to the International Data Corporation. The Company's second game, Giant Online, entered into open beta testing on March 28, 2008. Giant has three additional online games that it intends to launch, including King of Kings III, Empire of Sports and ZT Online II.

Giant built a nationwide

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Giant Interactive Group Inc. (...

The video game industry has a reputation for being recession proof. And soaring sales this year suggest there are some great profit opportunities in the sector. That’s why the Money Morning team have created this comprehensive guide to virtual investing.

If you want to invest in video games there are, essentially, four ways to do it…

Investing in video game publishers. Investing in video game retailers. Investing in companies that make video game consoles. Investing in companies that make video game accessories. Game Publishers

These are the companies that make the games. And Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) are the best bets right now.

Electronic Arts is the publisher of the popular Madden franchise, which gives it a consistent intake

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