Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Short Interest Up 74.5% in February

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,310,000 shares, a growth of 74.5% from the January 31st total of 6,480,000 shares. Approximately 4.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.18, for a total transaction of $148,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 8,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,296,575. This represents a 10.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $740,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,615 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders sold 24,500 shares of company stock worth $3,428,645 in the last three months. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,313,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its stake in Electronic Arts by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 5,821 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $835,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. purchased a new position in Electronic Arts in the 3rd quarter valued at $227,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 69.7% during the third quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 4,752 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $682,000 after buying an additional 1,952 shares in the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

NASDAQ EA traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $129.23. 5,209,503 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,420,575. The company has a market capitalization of $33.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 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. The business’s 50 day moving average is $134.72 and its 200-day moving average is $145.59. Electronic Arts has a 1 year low of $115.21 and a 1 year high of $168.50.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 earnings per share (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 forecast that Electronic Arts will post 4.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

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 $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is presently 19.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas downgraded Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $158.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $173.00 price target on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $175.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $167.00 to $159.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.78.

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.