Erste Asset Management GmbH Boosts Stock Position in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 68.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 177,568 shares of the game software company’s stock after buying an additional 71,850 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $26,367,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EA. Atria Investments Inc lifted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 86.5% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 12,362 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $1,773,000 after acquiring an additional 5,733 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the third quarter worth $25,000. Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the third quarter worth $250,000. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd lifted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 51.2% during the third quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 9,683 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $1,389,000 after acquiring an additional 3,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 5.1% in the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

Electronic Arts Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EA opened at $136.12 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $133.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $145.03. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 12-month low of $115.21 and a 12-month high of $168.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.28% and a return on equity of 17.80%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is presently 19.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on Electronic Arts from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Ascendiant Capital Markets increased their price objective on Electronic Arts from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Roth Mkm lowered their price objective on Electronic Arts from $158.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $173.00 price objective on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on Electronic Arts from $163.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Electronic Arts news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,000 shares of Electronic Arts 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,238,126.76. The trade was a 9.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $740,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,047,020. The trade was a 9.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,428,645 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by 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.