Vanguard Group Inc. Decreases Position in Electronic Arts Inc. $EA

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 28,288,056 shares of the game software company’s stock after selling 158,489 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.34% of Electronic Arts worth $5,705,701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Walter Public Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 41.7% during the 3rd quarter. Walter Public Investments Inc. now owns 48,017 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $9,685,000 after acquiring an additional 14,134 shares during the last quarter. NatWest Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the 3rd quarter worth $10,414,000. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the second quarter worth $287,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 14.3% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 326,682 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $52,171,000 after purchasing an additional 40,848 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 390,971 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $78,859,000 after purchasing an additional 102,248 shares during the period. 90.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:EA opened at $199.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $203.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $193.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 12-month low of $128.02 and a 12-month high of $204.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.74.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is 28.57%.

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In related news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.65, for a total transaction of $302,475.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 5,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,128,231.75. This trade represents a 21.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.11, for a total transaction of $510,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 53,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,848,038.28. This trade represents a 4.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 115,069 shares of company stock valued at $23,194,130. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on EA shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Argus set a $210.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Zacks Research lowered Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Electronic Arts from $207.00 to $202.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $186.95.

Electronic Arts Company Profile

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.