Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA)

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 30,481 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 775% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,482 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.03, for a total value of $395,075.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 50,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,969,926.99. This trade represents a 4.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.83, for a total transaction of $150,830.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 28,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,251,897.70. This trade represents a 3.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 26,000 shares of company stock worth $3,986,385 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Electronic Arts during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 141.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 200 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its holdings in Electronic Arts by 156.6% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 272 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Electronic Arts by 31.8% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 290 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

Shares of Electronic Arts stock opened at $116.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $30.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $152.43 and its 200-day moving average is $148.83. Electronic Arts has a one year low of $115.21 and a one year high of $168.50.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 27th. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is 19.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Roth Mkm dropped 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 report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded Electronic Arts from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $163.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Electronic Arts to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $167.00 to $159.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $159.79.

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.