Blue Trust Inc. Decreases Stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Blue Trust Inc. decreased its position in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 68.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 946 shares of the game software company’s stock after selling 2,029 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $138,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swedbank AB increased its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,607,817 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $235,224,000 after purchasing an additional 95,190 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $217,000. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 983.4% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 257,902 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $36,993,000 after purchasing an additional 234,098 shares during the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,845,000. Finally, Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 64,170 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $9,205,000 after purchasing an additional 11,058 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $177.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Moffett Nathanson raised shares of Electronic Arts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $161.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $154.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Electronic Arts news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.45, for a total value of $164,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,969,021.20. This trade represents a 3.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 24,886 shares in the company, valued at $3,888,935.22. The trade was a 5.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,500 shares of company stock worth $2,812,285. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EA opened at $129.99 on Friday. Electronic Arts Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $115.21 and a fifty-two week high of $168.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $137.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.34. The company has a market capitalization of $33.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by ($1.07). Electronic Arts had a net margin of 14.28% and a return on equity of 17.80%. Analysts expect that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is 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.