Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $165.37.

Several research firms have weighed in on EA. Argus lifted their target price on Electronic Arts from $161.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $160.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. DZ Bank upgraded Electronic Arts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $135.00 to $177.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th.

Insider Activity at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,597,739.20. The trade was a 5.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.57, for a total value of $147,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 29,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,311,405.12. This represents a 3.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,500 shares of company stock worth $3,639,565. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the third quarter worth $25,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 156.6% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 272 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 9,280.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 469 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EA opened at $144.20 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $37.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.79. The company’s fifty day moving average is $157.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Electronic Arts has a 12-month low of $124.92 and a 12-month high of $168.50.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio 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.