Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Short Interest Update

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) was the target of a large 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. Currently, 4.8% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

Electronic Arts stock opened at $130.18 on Tuesday. Electronic Arts has a 12-month low of $115.21 and a 12-month high of $168.50. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $134.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.59. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $33.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.79.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts anticipate that Electronic Arts will post 4.71 earnings per share 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 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is presently 19.34%.

Insider Activity at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $740,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 47,615 shares in the company, valued at $7,047,020. This represents a 9.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.11, for a total value of $130,110.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,238,126.76. This represents a 9.51 % 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 quarter. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EA. DA Davidson initiated coverage on Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Moffett Nathanson upgraded Electronic Arts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $175.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James lowered shares of Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.