Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Buys 2,415 Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 45,557 shares of the game software company’s stock after buying an additional 2,415 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $6,232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Electronic Arts by 302.8% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 257,406 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $35,216,000 after buying an additional 193,498 shares in the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 65.5% in the fourth quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,865 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 4,300 shares in the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 4,671 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $639,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC increased its position in Electronic Arts by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 17,175 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $2,350,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Electronic Arts by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 19,418 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.88, for a total transaction of $347,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 30,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,295,558.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, COO Laura Miele sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.43, for a total value of $274,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 38,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,297,651.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.88, for a total value of $347,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 30,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,295,558.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 37,144 shares of company stock valued at $5,143,560 over the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $153.00 price objective on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Electronic Arts from $152.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Electronic Arts from $146.00 to $143.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Electronic Arts in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $160.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $162.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Electronic Arts currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.00.

Electronic Arts Stock Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ:EA opened at $127.27 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $134.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $34.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.76. Electronic Arts Inc. has a twelve month low of $117.47 and a twelve month high of $144.53.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The game software company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by ($1.38). The company had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.40 billion. Electronic Arts had a net margin of 14.09% and a return on equity of 20.58%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 5.36 EPS for the current year.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 28th were issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 27th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is 19.14%.

Electronic Arts Company Profile

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.