Zynga ( ZNGA ) soared 7.7% to $2.53 in after-hours trading, following stronger than expected third quarter results. The San Francisco-based social media games publisher posted a net loss of 6 cents per diluted share on revenue of $176.6 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had been expecting a net loss of 1 cent a share on revenue of $167.7 million. "I am encouraged by the results of the quarter as we navigate through this time of transition. In Q3, we reported bookings at the high end of our guidance range and Adjusted EBITDA near the midpoint of our guidance range. Our teams have been working hard over the last year to reshape our business and we are seeing that work show up in two important areas - our franchise bookings and mobile bookings growth," said Don Mattrick, Zynga CEO, in a statement. He specifically pointed to the company's core franchises Casino, Words With Friends and FarmVille, which overall grew 30% in the last quarter over the same time a year ago in regard to its bookings.