J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Reduces Position in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG drastically reduced its stake in Electronic Arts by 83.1%, leaving it with only 25,619 shares valued at approximately $3.7 million at the reporting period's end.
• Multiple investors, including Financial Management Professionals Inc. and Bank of Jackson Hole Trust, have increased their positions in Electronic Arts during the same period, reflecting a mixed sentiment among institutional investors.
• Analysts have shown optimism regarding Electronic Arts, with HSBC upgrading the stock to a "buy" rating and setting a price target of $190.00, while the average target is now $164.21.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG decreased its position in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) by 83.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,619 shares of the game software company's stock after selling 126,133 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $3,702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,420 shares of the game software company's stock worth $500,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Electronic Arts by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,174 shares of the game software company's stock worth $313,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Electronic Arts in the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,741,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter valued at $1,084,000. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter valued at $2,436,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 6,563 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.18, for a total value of $992,194.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 70,059 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,591,519.62. This trade represents a 8.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.50, for a total value of $398,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 60,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,664,424. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 33,229 shares of company stock worth $5,066,049. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $153.00 target price (up from $139.00) on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $210.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $168.00 price target on shares of Electronic Arts and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Roth Capital raised shares of Electronic Arts from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $175.00 to $185.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Electronic Arts has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $165.32.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

Shares of EA stock traded down $0.34 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $159.43. The stock had a trading volume of 392,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,493,652. Electronic Arts Inc. has a one year low of $115.21 and a one year high of $168.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $151.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.00, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.72.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 27th will be given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 27th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Electronic Arts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.05%.

Electronic Arts Company 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.