Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $165.37.

Several research firms recently issued reports on EA. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Roth Mkm increased their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. DZ Bank upgraded Electronic Arts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded Electronic Arts to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $163.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.18, for a total transaction of $148,180.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 8,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,296,575. The trade was a 10.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.72, for a total transaction of $217,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,860 shares in the company, valued at $3,597,739.20. This represents a 5.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,491,995. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Electronic Arts

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EA. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 983.4% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 257,902 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $36,993,000 after buying an additional 234,098 shares in the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd boosted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 20.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 64,170 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $9,205,000 after purchasing an additional 11,058 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Electronic Arts by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 84,200 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $12,078,000 after purchasing an additional 4,702 shares in the last quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC purchased a new stake in Electronic Arts during the third quarter valued at about $5,597,000. Finally, Chesapeake Capital Corp IL acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the third quarter worth about $950,000. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

EA stock opened at $146.30 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $38.37 billion, a PE ratio of 37.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $157.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $148.75. Electronic Arts has a 52-week low of $124.92 and a 52-week high of $168.50.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.54%.

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.