Electronic Arts Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:EA)

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors bought 29,822 put options on the company. This is an increase of 1,092% compared to the average volume of 2,502 put options.

Electronic Arts Stock Down 1.4%

NASDAQ:EA opened at $198.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. Electronic Arts has a 52-week low of $131.15 and a 52-week high of $204.88. The company has a market cap of $49.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $202.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $195.95.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research downgraded Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Electronic Arts from $207.00 to $202.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Three 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $188.30.

Insider Activity at Electronic Arts

In related news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.90, for a total value of $299,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 5,897 shares in the company, valued at $1,178,810.30. This represents a 20.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.63, for a total transaction of $240,756.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 31,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,251,630.80. The trade was a 3.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 27,600 shares of company stock valued at $5,589,823 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Electronic Arts

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EA. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,773,086 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $5,879,205,000 after buying an additional 485,030 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,072,959 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $2,726,552,000 after buying an additional 932,024 shares in the last quarter. Pentwater Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 128.1% in the fourth quarter. Pentwater Capital Management LP now owns 10,950,000 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $2,237,414,000 after acquiring an additional 6,150,000 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Electronic Arts by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,764,572 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $1,382,030,000 after purchasing an additional 143,195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,591,869 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $926,194,000 after acquiring an additional 374,840 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

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.