Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Decreases Stock Holdings in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP reduced its holdings in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 91.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 14,585 shares of the game software company’s stock after selling 147,388 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $2,032,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Electronic Arts by 14.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,159,718 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $3,868,620,000 after buying an additional 3,727,251 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Electronic Arts by 496.9% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,511,250 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $333,169,000 after acquiring an additional 2,090,504 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the fourth quarter valued at $281,054,000. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the 1st quarter worth about $201,935,000. Finally, Jericho Capital Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the 1st quarter worth about $189,055,000. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

NASDAQ EA opened at $148.56 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $39.48 billion, a PE ratio of 31.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $144.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.45. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 52-week low of $117.47 and a 52-week high of $153.51.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 28th will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 28th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.88, for a total transaction of $106,304.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 39,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,232,017.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Electronic Arts news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.01, for a total value of $211,515.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,488,078.53. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.88, for a total value of $106,304.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 39,374 shares in the company, valued at $5,232,017.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,486 shares of company stock worth $2,215,126. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on EA shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. StockNews.com raised Electronic Arts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Electronic Arts from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Electronic Arts from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $163.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.28.

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.