Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Shares Sold by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co decreased its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 43.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,669 shares of the game software company’s stock after selling 2,072 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $383,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 14.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,159,718 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $3,868,620,000 after purchasing an additional 3,727,251 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 496.9% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,511,250 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $333,169,000 after acquiring an additional 2,090,504 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the first quarter valued at $201,935,000. Jericho Capital Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the first quarter worth about $189,055,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Electronic Arts in the 2nd quarter valued at about $188,159,000. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $148.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Citigroup downgraded Electronic Arts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $148.00 to $161.00 in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Electronic Arts from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.76.

Insider Activity at Electronic Arts

In other news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.88, for a total value of $372,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 56,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,448,493.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Electronic Arts news, Director Luis A. Ubinas sold 2,126 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.77, for a total value of $312,033.02. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.88, for a total transaction of $372,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 56,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,448,493.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 22,270 shares of company stock worth $3,287,735. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EA opened at $145.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 1.45. The company has a market capitalization of $38.36 billion, a PE ratio of 34.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $145.01 and a 200-day moving average of $139.58. Electronic Arts Inc. has a one year low of $119.92 and a one year high of $153.51.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The game software company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. Electronic Arts had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 15.77%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 5.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 28th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 28th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.88%.

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.