Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $161.83.

Several research firms recently commented on EA. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Electronic Arts from $145.00 to $142.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com lowered Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Moffett Nathanson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $163.00 price target on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Roth Capital reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Electronic Arts from $163.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Insider Activity at Electronic Arts

In other news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,801,320. This represents a 3.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.14, for a total value of $650,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 37,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,216.10. This trade represents a 11.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 22,000 shares of company stock valued at $3,118,120 in the last three months. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. grew its holdings in Electronic Arts by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 560 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC raised its position in Electronic Arts by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 2,285 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its position in Electronic Arts by 56.4% in the first quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 208 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in Electronic Arts by 34.2% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 298 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Clarius Group LLC increased its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 3.6% during the first quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 2,204 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:EA opened at $149.06 on Wednesday. Electronic Arts has a 52-week low of $115.21 and a 52-week high of $168.50. The stock has a market cap of $38.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.93, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $143.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.95.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.92%.

About Electronic Arts

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.