Strs Ohio Sells 122,989 Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. $EA

Key Points

• Strs Ohio cut its stake in Electronic Arts by 95.3% in Q4, selling 122,989 shares and retaining 6,024 shares worth $1.231 million after the filing.
• EA reported a record $8 billion in fiscal‑year net bookings and a Q4 revenue beat, but missed on EPS and saw falling engagement (notably for Battlefield), while reports of a proposed consortium buyout near $55 billion could create a takeover premium.
• Insiders have sold a total of 27,600 shares valued at $5.544 million in the last 90 days (including sales by Laura Miele and CFO Stuart Canfield), leaving insiders owning just 0.24% of the company.

Strs Ohio lowered its stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) by 95.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,024 shares of the game software company's stock after selling 122,989 shares during the period. Strs Ohio's holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $1,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Walter Public Investments Inc. increased its position in Electronic Arts by 41.7% during the third quarter. Walter Public Investments Inc. now owns 48,017 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $9,685,000 after acquiring an additional 14,134 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 35.4% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 390,971 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $78,859,000 after acquiring an additional 102,248 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,025,000. OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,815,000. Finally, Greenland Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the 3rd quarter worth about $5,569,000. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts

In related news, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.53, for a total transaction of $498,825.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 48,343 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,645,878.79. This trade represents a 4.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.90, for a total transaction of $299,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 5,897 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,178,810.30. This trade represents a 20.28% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 27,600 shares of company stock valued at $5,544,159 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Key Electronic Arts News

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

• Positive Sentiment: EA reported a record fiscal‑year net bookings haul of about $8 billion, driven by strong launches such as Battlefield 6 and Apex Legends — a clear revenue/cash‑flow positive for the business and supportive of valuation and takeover interest. EA Sets A New $8 Billion Sales Record Just Months After Laying Off Battlefield 6 Developers
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly revenue topped estimates — EA reported ~$2.12B in Q4 revenue (above some analyst views), and net bookings for the quarter rose to ~$1.86B — evidence of top‑line strength in live services and sports titles. Electronic Arts posts Q4 revenue beat as deal with PIF, Silver Lake nears close
• Positive Sentiment: The proposed buyout by a consortium (reports of a ~$55B LBO) and comments that the deal remains on track create a potential takeover premium that can support the share price pending closing. Electronic Arts misses bookings estimates as 'Battlefield' engagement falls
• Positive Sentiment: EA declared a quarterly cash dividend (small yield) which is shareholder‑friendly and modestly supportive to sentiment. (Dividend: $0.19/share; ex‑div May 27.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Accounting/recognition nuance: some of the record bookings were boosted by a ~$500M rise in deferred revenue — boosts headline bookings but investors should watch conversion to recognized revenue and future engagement. EA made a record $8 billion in net bookings, spiked by $500 million deferred revenue
• Neutral Sentiment: Product pipeline note: EA will launch EA SPORTS UFC 6 on June 19, which supports future content and monetization but is not an immediate earnings driver. Fight Your Fight: EA SPORTS™ UFC® 6 Arrives June 19
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector tailwind: gaming ETFs rallied in April on AI/chip strength (AMD etc.), which can lift EA as part of the group, but the rally is more hardware/AI‑chip driven than EA‑specific. GAMR Soars as AMD & AI Chips Power Gaming Rally
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings/earnings per share missed expectations materially across outlets (several reports show EPS well below consensus), which pressured sentiment despite revenue strength — investors worry margins/operating leverage and near‑term profitability. Electronic Arts Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: Engagement for Battlefield dropped after launch and mobile weakness weighed on bookings in some reports — raises concern about sustainability of the recent bookings lift. Electronic Arts misses bookings estimates as 'Battlefield' engagement falls
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put‑option activity (40,075 puts traded, ~1,051% above average) signals elevated short‑term bearish positioning or hedging, which can increase downside pressure on the stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on EA shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Monday. Citigroup dropped their target price on Electronic Arts from $207.00 to $202.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $193.73.

Electronic Arts Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of Electronic Arts stock opened at $200.79 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market cap of $50.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.53, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.66. The firm's 50-day moving average is $201.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $202.21. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.19 and a 1 year high of $204.88.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is currently 28.57%.

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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