Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-eight analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $167.1154.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on EA. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $135.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. HSBC upgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $166.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Arete upgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $192.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th.

Electronic Arts Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:EA opened at $179.01 on Friday. Electronic Arts has a 12-month low of $115.21 and a 12-month high of $180.90. The stock has a market cap of $44.79 billion, a PE ratio of 44.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50 day moving average of $155.63 and a 200-day moving average of $145.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 27th will be issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 27th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.69, for a total value of $223,035.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 29,948 shares in the company, valued at $4,452,968.12. This represents a 4.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.53, for a total transaction of $159,530.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 37,131 shares in the company, valued at $5,923,508.43. This represents a 2.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 29,229 shares of company stock valued at $4,452,664. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in Electronic Arts by 70.1% in the 2nd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 165 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Electronic Arts in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted its holdings in Electronic Arts by 56.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 208 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Electronic Arts in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc develops, markets, publishes, and distributes games, content, and services for game consoles, PCs, mobile phones, and tablets worldwide. It develops and publishes games and services across various genres, such as sports, racing, first-person shooter, action, role-playing, and simulation primarily under the Battlefield, The Sims, Apex Legends, Need for Speed, and license games from others, including FIFA, Madden NFL, UFC, and Star Wars brands.