Electronic Arts Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:EA)

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Traders acquired 37,868 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 352% compared to the typical volume of 8,382 call options.

Electronic Arts Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of Electronic Arts stock opened at $142.90 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $132.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.80. Electronic Arts has a 1 year low of $115.21 and a 1 year high of $168.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38. The company has a market capitalization of $37.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.36, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.78.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by ($1.07). Electronic Arts had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 14.28%. Analysts forecast that Electronic Arts will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be 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 is Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Roth Mkm decreased their price objective on Electronic Arts from $158.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Moffett Nathanson upgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research 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 objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Electronic Arts from $175.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.78.

Insider Activity at Electronic Arts

In related news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.11, for a total value of $130,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,238,126.76. The trade was a 9.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $740,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,047,020. This trade represents a 9.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 23,000 shares of company stock worth $3,194,240. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EA. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,156,791 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $1,778,553,000 after buying an additional 605,796 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Electronic Arts by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,702,586 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $978,650,000 after acquiring an additional 30,929 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Electronic Arts by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,430,409 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $648,169,000 after acquiring an additional 270,991 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Electronic Arts by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,257,281 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $476,540,000 after acquiring an additional 360,563 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,228,721 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $472,362,000 after purchasing an additional 120,632 shares in the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.