Electronic Arts Inc. $EA Shares Purchased by MUFG Securities EMEA plc

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc boosted its Electronic Arts stake by 1,250.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 58,202 shares valued at about $11.9 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with 90.23% of EA shares held by institutions and hedge funds; several other firms also recently increased or initiated positions.
• Wall Street sentiment is mostly cautious, with EA carrying a Hold consensus rating and an average price target of $196.64, even after some analysts nudged targets slightly higher.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its stake in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) by 1,250.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58,202 shares of the game software company's stock after acquiring an additional 53,892 shares during the quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $11,892,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EA. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its stake in Electronic Arts by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 138 shares of the game software company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Electronic Arts by 150.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the game software company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its stake in Electronic Arts by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 231 shares of the game software company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Electronic Arts from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $196.64.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

Shares of Electronic Arts stock opened at $201.72 on Monday. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.19 and a 1 year high of $204.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company has a market capitalization of $50.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.80, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.65. The company's fifty day moving average is $202.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $202.26.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 27th. Electronic Arts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.36, for a total transaction of $302,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 25,991 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,233,547.76. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,066 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.66, for a total transaction of $1,021,609.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 85,974 shares in the company, valued at $17,337,516.84. The trade was a 5.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 39,906 shares of company stock valued at $8,032,336. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Electronic Arts Company Profile

Electronic Arts Inc NASDAQ: EA is a global interactive entertainment company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in 1982 by Trip Hawkins, EA develops, publishes and distributes video games and related content for a variety of platforms, including consoles, personal computers and mobile devices. The company combines in-house development, partnerships and studio acquisitions to create and maintain a portfolio of entertainment properties and live-service experiences for players worldwide.

EA's product lineup spans several well-known franchises and genres.

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