Morningstar Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Morningstar Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) by 25.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,222 shares of the game software company's stock after selling 3,521 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $1,495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Planning boosted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 26,676 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $3,826,000 after purchasing an additional 1,351 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Electronic Arts by 139.5% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,975 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $414,000 after buying an additional 1,733 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Electronic Arts by 10.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 129,387 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $18,559,000 after buying an additional 12,468 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 5.8% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,371 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $627,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAM Holding AG increased its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 14.2% in the third quarter. GAM Holding AG now owns 72,657 shares of the game software company's stock worth $10,422,000 after buying an additional 9,035 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.23% of the company's stock.

Electronic Arts Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EA traded up $0.94 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $130.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,866,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,233,704. 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 50 day moving average of $137.09 and a 200-day moving average of $146.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.32, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.79. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 12-month low of $115.21 and a 12-month high of $168.50.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 Inc. will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Electronic Arts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.34%.

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In related news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.03, for a total transaction of $122,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 28,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,443,198.48. This represents a 3.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 value of $740,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 47,615 shares in the company, 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 90 days, insiders have sold 25,500 shares of company stock worth $3,593,095. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Electronic Arts from $145.00 to $142.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Electronic Arts from $167.00 to $159.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Wednesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Electronic Arts from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $154.55.

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.