Electronic Arts Inc. $EA Stock Holdings Lifted by Alberta Investment Management Corp

Key Points

• Alberta Investment Management Corp doubled its stake in Electronic Arts during the fourth quarter, buying 60,000 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 120,000 shares worth about $24.5 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased or initiated positions in EA, and institutions now own 90.23% of the company’s stock, underscoring strong professional ownership interest.
• EA is also drawing attention for a new in-game advertising platform that could create additional revenue, though some investors and players worry it may make the games feel more commercial.

Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) by 100.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 120,000 shares of the game software company's stock after buying an additional 60,000 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp's holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $24,520,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sculptor Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 131.6% in the fourth quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 748,000 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $152,839,000 after buying an additional 425,000 shares in the last quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd grew its position in Electronic Arts by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 41,313 shares of the game software company's stock worth $8,444,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Yakira Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,373,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in Electronic Arts by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 43,218 shares of the game software company's stock worth $8,831,000 after purchasing an additional 1,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC grew its position in Electronic Arts by 101.8% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the game software company's stock worth $774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,911 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.23% of the company's stock.

More Electronic Arts News

Here are the key news stories impacting Electronic Arts this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EA is creating a new advertising platform that could unlock incremental revenue by bringing brands into its games and live experiences. Electronic Arts Introduces EA Advertising, Launching Brands Directly Into Gameplay and Live Experiences
• Neutral Sentiment: Management says the ads will be integrated in a “non-disruptive” way, suggesting EA is trying to balance monetization with player retention. Electronic Arts launches EA Advertising, a new way for brands to connect with fans through its games
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors and players may worry that a bigger ad push could make EA’s games feel more commercial, potentially hurting user sentiment and engagement. Electronic Arts Announces Plans To Cram Far More Advertising Into Its Games

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Argus cut shares of Electronic Arts from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Electronic Arts to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $196.64.

Electronic Arts Stock Down 0.1%

Electronic Arts stock opened at $203.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $50.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Electronic Arts Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.97 and a fifty-two week high of $204.88. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $202.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $202.38.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts

In other news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.81, for a total transaction of $240,972.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 27,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,534,323.60. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.21, for a total transaction of $508,025.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 43,343 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,807,731.03. This represents a 5.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 31,206 shares of company stock valued at $6,293,083 in the last three months. 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.