Investor snapshot: Take-Two climbs on news of split

Game stocks and Wall Street coasted to flat finish Friday after several days of choppy activity. The exception was Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) shares, which gained almost a dollar to close at $41. Yesterday, the Grand Theft Auto publisher got approval for a 3-for-2 stock split, which will take place April 11. Anyone who owns stock in Take-Two as of March 28 will participate in the split.

The day's other game-industry advances were relatively small. Vivendi Universal (V) shares rose 27 cents to close at $31.40. Atari (ATAR) shares rose 3 percent to $3.35, while Activision (ATVI) shares climbed 3 cents to $23.05.

Friday's losses were also slight. Shares in THQ Inc. fell 21 cents to $29.10. Midway (MWY) traded 17 cents lower at $16.10, and Electronic Arts (ERTS) shares lost 13 cents, closing at $66.73. Shares in Electronics Boutique (ELBO) dropped 9 cents to close at $41.40, and GameStop (GME), Jamdat Mobile (JMDT), and Eidos (EIDSY) shed a penny each. Konami shares were unchanged.

In Japan, Nintendo shares closed 30 yen (29 cents) lower at 11,470 yen ($109.53). Shares in Ubisoft, traded on the Paris Exchange, inched .03 euros (4 cents) lower to 30.38 euros ($40.47).

On the broader markets, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.32 points to close at 10,629.67. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 8.63 points, closing at 2,007.79, and the S&P 500 traded .56 points lower at 1,189.65.

A report on the semiconductor sector today revealed that chip equipment orders for February were lower than those in February 2004 but higher than orders in January 2005, Marketwatch reported. Intel shares were flat at $23.41. RadioShack shares slid 11.2 percent Friday after the company announced that its first-quarter earnings would be lower than previously forecast.

Shares in Microsoft dropped Friday after the European Union expressed displeasure at Microsoft's unwillingness to cooperate with a ruling that it must make its operating system's source files available to competitors.