Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $161.94.

Several brokerages have recently commented on EA. Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $165.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of Electronic Arts from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st.

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 7,384 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.91, for a total transaction of $1,106,935.44. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 31,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,675,692.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,260 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.37, for a total value of $186,946.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 7,553 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,120,638.61. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 7,384 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.91, for a total transaction of $1,106,935.44. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 31,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,675,692.90. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 24,770 shares of company stock worth $3,643,785. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EA. North Star Investment Management Corp. boosted its position in Electronic Arts by 333.3% during the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 195 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Electronic Arts during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 90.23% of the company's stock.

Electronic Arts Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EA traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $144.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,557,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,061,950. Electronic Arts has a fifty-two week low of $119.92 and a fifty-two week high of $153.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 1.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $145.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.84, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.79.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The game software company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. Electronic Arts had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 16.34%. As a group, analysts forecast that Electronic Arts will post 5.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 28th were paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 28th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. Electronic Arts's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.24%.

About Electronic Arts

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.