Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 53,768 Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its position in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,901,647 shares of the game software company’s stock after selling 53,768 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.09% of Electronic Arts worth $4,228,311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC increased its position in Electronic Arts by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 2,285 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 812 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,761 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $550,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,837 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EA opened at $144.55 on Tuesday. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 52 week low of $115.21 and a 52 week high of $168.50. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $132.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $37.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.78.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid 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 was Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is currently 19.34%.

Insider Activity

In other Electronic Arts news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.11, for a total transaction of $130,110.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,238,126.76. The trade was a 9.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.50, for a total value of $712,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,647,637.50. The trade was a 13.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 23,000 shares of company stock worth $3,166,740 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on EA shares. StockNews.com lowered Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price 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. BNP Paribas cut shares of Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $155.65.

Electronic Arts 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.