Analysts Set Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Price Target at $154.55

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $154.55.

EA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $173.00 price objective on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $175.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $145.00 to $142.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $167.00 to $159.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.11, for a total value of $130,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,238,126.76. This represents a 9.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $234,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,888,935.22. This trade represents a 5.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,593,095 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Electronic Arts

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swedbank AB grew its stake in Electronic Arts by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,607,817 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $235,224,000 after buying an additional 95,190 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 983.4% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 257,902 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $36,993,000 after purchasing an additional 234,098 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,730,000. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $13,845,000. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Trading Down 0.6 %

Electronic Arts stock opened at $130.46 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $135.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Electronic Arts has a 12 month low of $115.21 and a 12 month high of $168.50. The stock has a market cap of $34.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.79.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.41 by ($1.07). Electronic Arts had a net margin of 14.28% and a return on equity of 17.80%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Electronic Arts will post 4.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.34%.

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.