Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) Upgraded to “Hold” at DA Davidson

DA Davidson upgraded shares of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) to a hold rating in a report published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective 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. Moffett Nathanson upgraded Electronic Arts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Electronic Arts from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Roth Mkm dropped their price objective on Electronic Arts from $158.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Electronic Arts from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $154.55.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

NASDAQ EA opened at $129.34 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $138.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.79. Electronic Arts has a 52-week low of $115.21 and a 52-week high of $168.50.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by ($1.07). Electronic Arts had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 14.28%. Equities research analysts predict that Electronic Arts will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is 19.34%.

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.45, for a total transaction of $164,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 30,216 shares in the company, valued at $4,969,021.20. This trade represents a 3.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $740,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 47,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,047,020. This represents a 9.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,500 shares of company stock worth $2,812,285. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Electronic Arts by 31.8% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 290 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 5.1% in the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA raised its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 2,475 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 812 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $119,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

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.