Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Trims Holdings in Electronic Arts Inc. $EA

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group trimmed its stake in Electronic Arts by 2.7% in Q4, selling 16,955 shares and retaining 600,261 shares (about 0.24% of EA) valued at roughly $122.65 million at quarter-end.
• Several large institutions made notable moves—Pentwater opened a new position worth about $968 million, Ameriprise added 1.3 million shares (up 44.6%), and Man Group increased its stake 165.5%—and institutional investors now own about 90.23% of EA.
• Insider selling has occurred recently: Laura Miele and Vijayanthimala Singh sold shares on March 16, and insiders disposed of 27,600 shares worth $5.55 million over the past three months, with corporate insiders holding about 0.24%.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 600,261 shares of the game software company's stock after selling 16,955 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.24% of Electronic Arts worth $122,651,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EA. Pentwater Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Electronic Arts during the third quarter worth approximately $968,160,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Electronic Arts by 44.6% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,217,029 shares of the game software company's stock worth $673,393,000 after buying an additional 1,300,336 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc increased its stake in Electronic Arts by 165.5% during the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,279,249 shares of the game software company's stock worth $204,296,000 after acquiring an additional 797,461 shares during the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts during the third quarter worth $156,760,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Electronic Arts by 26.3% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,069,543 shares of the game software company's stock worth $619,127,000 after acquiring an additional 638,667 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In other news, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total value of $499,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 45,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,166,307.85. The trade was a 5.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,200 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.69, for a total value of $239,628.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 29,960 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,982,712.40. The trade was a 3.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 27,600 shares of company stock valued at $5,553,319. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

EA stock opened at $202.56 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $201.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $201.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $50.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.73. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 52-week low of $141.04 and a 52-week high of $204.88.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Electronic Arts's payout ratio is presently 28.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut their target price on Electronic Arts from $207.00 to $202.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Electronic Arts has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $188.30.

Electronic Arts 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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