Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Stock Position Lifted by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) by 53.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,720 shares of the game software company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,453 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $2,300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of EA. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 10,437 shares of the game software company's stock worth $1,497,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Electronic Arts by 76.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 10,328 shares of the game software company's stock worth $1,481,000 after acquiring an additional 4,471 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Electronic Arts in the 3rd quarter worth $428,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 20.6% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 45,630 shares of the game software company's stock worth $6,545,000 after purchasing an additional 7,786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Electronic Arts by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 863,899 shares of the game software company's stock worth $124,548,000 after purchasing an additional 66,797 shares during the period. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $173.00 price target on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Electronic Arts from $138.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $145.00 to $142.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $175.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $154.65.

Electronic Arts Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EA traded up $2.64 during trading on Friday, reaching $145.61. 1,761,861 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,622,435. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $137.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.36. The firm has a market cap of $37.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA - Get Free Report) last released 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.68, for a total value of $713,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 42,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,080,308.20. This trade represents a 10.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.83, for a total value of $327,075.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 47,514 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,216,256.62. The trade was a 5.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 22,000 shares of company stock valued at $3,019,290. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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.