Investors Buy Large Volume of Electronic Arts Call Options (NASDAQ:EA)

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors acquired 8,725 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 203% compared to the average volume of 2,881 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total value of $999,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 28,858 shares in the company, valued at $5,770,157.10. The trade was a 14.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 29,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,982,712.40. This trade represents a 3.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 27,600 shares of company stock valued at $5,553,319 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EA. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 12,076 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the second quarter worth about $532,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 70.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,058 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

NASDAQ:EA opened at $204.16 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $51.09 billion, a PE ratio of 76.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.73. Electronic Arts has a 12 month low of $131.15 and a 12 month high of $204.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $201.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $200.82.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

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

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.