Electronic Arts Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:EA)

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 7,942 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 32% compared to the typical daily volume of 6,011 call options.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

Shares of Electronic Arts stock opened at $146.52 on Tuesday. Electronic Arts has a one year low of $117.47 and a one year high of $153.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.31, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $137.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.45.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The game software company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. Electronic Arts had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 15.77%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Electronic Arts will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 28th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 28th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is presently 16.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Electronic Arts in a report on Thursday, July 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup downgraded Electronic Arts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $161.00 in a report on Monday, July 15th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Electronic Arts from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on Electronic Arts from $135.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Electronic Arts from $143.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Electronic Arts currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.28.

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.71, for a total transaction of $111,768.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 38,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,389,173.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Electronic Arts news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.71, for a total transaction of $111,768.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 38,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,389,173.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $435,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 7,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,095,185. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,070 shares of company stock worth $3,963,638. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its stake in Electronic Arts by 2.9% in the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 2,828 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Electronic Arts by 23.5% in the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 494 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Electronic Arts by 4.6% in the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,194 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Electronic Arts by 5.6% in the first quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Electronic Arts by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 20,909 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $2,913,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

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.