Empowered Funds LLC Increases Stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 32.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,230 shares of the game software company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,771 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $1,058,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 141.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 200 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted 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. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in Electronic Arts by 1,458.3% during the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 374 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Stock Down 0.3 %

EA stock opened at $129.40 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $139.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.72. The company has a market capitalization of $33.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.79. Electronic Arts Inc. has a twelve month low of $115.21 and a twelve month high of $168.50.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last issued its 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 return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 14.28%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on EA shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Electronic Arts from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Moffett Nathanson raised Electronic Arts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Raymond James cut shares of Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $173.00 price target on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Electronic Arts presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $155.24.

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In related news, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.83, for a total value of $327,075.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 47,514 shares in the company, valued at $6,216,256.62. The trade was a 5.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.47, for a total value of $832,350.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 52,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,758,819.05. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 24,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,644,635. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.