Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA)

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 30,249 put options on the company. This is an increase of 917% compared to the average daily volume of 2,973 put options.

Insider Activity at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.69, for a total transaction of $239,628.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 29,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,982,712.40. This trade represents a 3.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total transaction of $499,875.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 45,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,166,307.85. This trade represents a 5.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 27,600 shares of company stock valued at $5,553,319. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Electronic Arts

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EA. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Electronic Arts by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,420 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $500,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Electronic Arts by 167.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 19,306 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $2,790,000 after buying an additional 12,076 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Electronic Arts by 150.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in Electronic Arts in the second quarter worth $2,323,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Electronic Arts by 96.4% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,067 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $490,000 after buying an additional 1,505 shares during the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on EA shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on Electronic Arts from $207.00 to $202.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $188.30.

Electronic Arts Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ EA opened at $202.56 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $50.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 76.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.73. Electronic Arts has a one year low of $141.04 and a one year high of $204.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $201.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $201.94.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.57%.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ: EA) is a global interactive entertainment company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in 1982 by Trip Hawkins, EA develops, publishes and distributes video games and related content for a variety of platforms, including consoles, personal computers and mobile devices. The company combines in-house development, partnerships and studio acquisitions to create and maintain a portfolio of entertainment properties and live-service experiences for players worldwide.

EA’s product lineup spans several well-known franchises and genres.