Analysts Set Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Target Price at $165.37

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $165.37.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas raised Electronic Arts to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Electronic Arts from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Wednesday, September 18th.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

EA opened at $145.25 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $157.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.99. Electronic Arts has a 52-week low of $124.92 and a 52-week high of $168.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.10 billion, a PE ratio of 37.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.54%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.72, for a total value of $217,080.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,597,739.20. This trade represents a 5.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.57, for a total value of $147,570.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 29,216 shares in the company, valued at $4,311,405.12. This trade represents a 3.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 23,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,639,565 in the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Electronic Arts

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Electronic Arts by 31.8% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 290 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 5.1% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $394,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 1.6% during the third quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC now owns 5,690 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $816,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in Electronic Arts by 1.5% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,302 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $904,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.