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

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) saw a significant growth in short interest in 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. Based on an average trading volume of 3,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Currently, 4.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.45, for a total value of $164,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 30,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,969,021.20. This represents a 3.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $740,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 25,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,593,095. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Electronic Arts in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 141.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 200 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, LGT Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Electronic Arts Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Electronic Arts stock traded down $1.34 during trading on Friday, reaching $129.12. 6,204,144 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,400,345. Electronic Arts has a twelve month low of $115.21 and a twelve month high of $168.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $135.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.79.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Electronic Arts will post 4.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is presently 19.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Moffett Nathanson upgraded Electronic Arts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird cut 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. Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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, January 21st. Finally, Argus raised their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $161.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.55.

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.