Barclays PLC Sells 754,307 Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Barclays PLC reduced its stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) by 40.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,106,832 shares of the game software company's stock after selling 754,307 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.42% of Electronic Arts worth $161,929,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its stake in Electronic Arts by 141.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 200 shares of the game software company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Electronic Arts in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors own 90.23% of the company's stock.

Electronic Arts Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ EA traded up $2.64 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $145.61. 1,761,861 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,627,366. Electronic Arts Inc. has a one year low of $115.21 and a one year high of $168.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $137.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $144.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38. The company has a market cap of $37.95 billion, a PE ratio of 37.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.79.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 4.71 EPS for the current year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Electronic Arts's payout ratio is 19.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on EA shares. DA Davidson began coverage on Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Electronic Arts from $167.00 to $159.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Roth Mkm cut their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $158.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $154.65.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.68, for a total value of $713,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 42,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,080,308.20. The trade was a 10.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.03, for a total value of $122,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 28,216 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,443,198.48. The trade was a 3.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 22,000 shares of company stock worth $3,019,290 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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.