Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Shares Bought by Plato Investment Management Ltd

Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 67.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 668 shares of the game software company’s stock after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $98,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in Electronic Arts by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,607,817 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $235,224,000 after acquiring an additional 95,190 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 983.4% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 257,902 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $36,993,000 after buying an additional 234,098 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,730,000. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $13,845,000. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

Shares of Electronic Arts stock opened at $134.05 on Thursday. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 52 week low of $115.21 and a 52 week high of $168.50. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $134.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.39. The firm has a market cap of $34.94 billion, a PE ratio of 34.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.41 by ($1.07). Electronic Arts had a net margin of 14.28% and a return on equity of 17.80%. Equities analysts forecast that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.34%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the 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 owns 47,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,047,020. This represents a 9.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $234,405.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,888,935.22. The trade was a 5.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 24,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,428,645 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Roth Mkm cut their price objective on Electronic Arts from $158.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Moffett Nathanson upgraded Electronic Arts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Electronic Arts from $175.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson initiated coverage on Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Electronic Arts from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.78.

Electronic Arts 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.