Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Electronic Arts from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating, signaling increased confidence in the company's stock performance.
• Despite the upgrade, multiple analysts have recently issued diminished ratings for Electronic Arts, with HSBC and TD Cowen downgrading their assessments.
• Insider trading activity indicates executives have sold shares recently, with a total of 41,900 shares sold worth approximately $7.7 million in the past ninety days.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

EA has been the subject of several other research reports. HSBC lowered shares of Electronic Arts from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $191.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, September 29th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Electronic Arts from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $148.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Electronic Arts from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $210.00 price target (up from $170.00) on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $179.38.

Electronic Arts Stock Up 0.1%

Electronic Arts stock opened at $200.75 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. Electronic Arts has a 52-week low of $115.21 and a 52-week high of $203.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $182.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $161.64. The firm has a market cap of $50.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.31, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,200 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.80, for a total transaction of $240,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,995,904. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.79, for a total transaction of $504,475.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 53,092 shares in the company, valued at $10,713,434.68. This represents a 4.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 41,900 shares of company stock worth $7,748,187 in the last ninety days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in Electronic Arts by 70.1% during the 2nd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 165 shares of the game software company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted its holdings in Electronic Arts by 56.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 208 shares of the game software company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Electronic Arts during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 328.9% in the 2nd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 193 shares of the game software company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 67.5% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 196 shares of the game software company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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