Analysts Set Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Price Target at $181.64

Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty-two ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-six have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $181.64.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on EA shares. Arete upgraded Electronic Arts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $192.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $166.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, DZ Bank cut shares of Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.42, for a total transaction of $241,704.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 34,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,001,359.20. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.65, for a total value of $302,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 5,595 shares in the company, valued at $1,128,231.75. The trade was a 21.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 137,369 shares of company stock valued at $27,307,702 over the last ninety days. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in Electronic Arts by 100.0% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 138 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 70.1% during the 2nd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 165 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 131.9% during the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 167 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

Shares of EA opened at $201.93 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $198.30 and a 200 day moving average of $172.40. Electronic Arts has a twelve month low of $115.21 and a twelve month high of $203.75.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The game software company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.72 by ($0.07). Electronic Arts had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 15.30%. The business had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 12.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Electronic Arts will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 3rd. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.22%.

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.