Ahead of the Bell: Electronic Arts to post results

NEW YORK (AP) - Video game publisher is expected to post solid results for its fiscal fourth quarter Tuesday, with adjusted profit reversing a loss a year earlier.

Analysts expect strong sales of "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" and "Mass Effect 2" to fuel the quarter's results. On average, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are expecting a profit of 5 cents per share on revenue of $835.4 million.

In February, EA forecast adjusted earnings of 2 cents to 6 cents per share on revenue of $800 million to $850 million.

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter recently raised his estimates for EA, for revenue of $860 million from $841 million and earnings of 8 cents per share from 7 cents. Pachter, who has an "Outperform" rating on EA, credited the increase to strong sales of "Battlefield."

The game sold more than 2.3 million units worldwide in March. On top of that, the Redwood City, Calif., company likely generated "meaningful contribution from its digital businesses during the quarter," the analyst said.