Investor snapshot: Game sector stalls

Game stocks barely budged Wednesday. Shares in Atari (ATAR) gained 10 cents, closing at $3.01. Activision (ATVI) and Electronics Boutique (ELBO) each traded 6 cents higher, closing at $15.26 and $42.90, respectively. Vivendi Universal (V) shares rose a nickel to $30.02, while shares in Jamdat Mobile (JMDT) traded 4 cents higher at $15.80.

THQ Inc. (THQI) shares were up 3 cents at $28.32. Shares in Eidos (EIDSY) climbed just a penny today following details of the game company's next Tomb Raider game.

On the downside, Electronic Arts (ERTS) shares fell 17 cents to $52.74. Shares in Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) closed 15 cents lower at $39.11. Midway (MWY) shares lost 4 cents to close at $10.20, and shares in Konami (KNM) were unchanged.

Nintendo shares boomed on the Japanese market Wednesday, spiking 420 yen ($3.87) to 12,250 yen ($112.74) on news of a boost to its dividend. Shares in Ubisoft gained .36 euros (46 cents) to close at 30.45 euros ($39.10) on the Paris Stock Exchange.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up for the third day in a row, climbing 27.56 points to close at 10,486.02. The Nasdaq Composite lost .18 points, falling to 1,999.14, while the S&P 500 finished Wednesday trading at 1,184.07, up 2.68 points. Semiconductor stock prices rose today after Merrill Lynch upgraded its ratings for Altera Corp., ATI Technologies, Broadcom, Intersil, Maxim Integrated Products, PMC-Sierra, and Nvidia, according to Marketwatch.