Vancity Investment Management Ltd Invests $215,000 in Electronic Arts Inc. $EA

Key Points

• Vancity Investment Management Ltd has invested approximately $215,000 in Electronic Arts Inc., purchasing 1,491 shares in the first quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have shown a positive outlook for EA, with several brokerages upgrading their ratings and increasing price targets, indicating a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Electronic Arts has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.19, representing a yield of 0.5%, with the payout ratio currently at 19.05%.

Vancity Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,491 shares of the game software company's stock, valued at approximately $215,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the 1st quarter worth $778,000. Fred Alger Management LLC bought a new stake in Electronic Arts in the first quarter worth $279,000. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. bought a new stake in Electronic Arts in the first quarter worth $318,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Electronic Arts by 23.9% during the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,324 shares of the game software company's stock worth $625,000 after buying an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Redwood Financial Network Corp raised its holdings in Electronic Arts by 6.2% during the first quarter. Redwood Financial Network Corp now owns 1,476 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $213,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.05, for a total transaction of $855,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 52,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,961,822.65. This trade represents a 8.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.65, for a total value of $209,580.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 27,248 shares in the company, valued at $4,758,863.20. This represents a 4.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,900 shares of company stock valued at $4,778,597 in the last quarter. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on EA. Arete upgraded Electronic Arts from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $192.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $168.00 target price on Electronic Arts and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Electronic Arts from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $210.00 price target on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $166.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $167.12.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

EA stock traded down $0.38 on Thursday, reaching $169.89. 2,410,758 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,374,967. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.51 billion, a PE ratio of 35.77, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.75. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 12 month low of $115.21 and a 12 month high of $180.90. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $162.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 27th will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 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 19.05%.

About Electronic Arts

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.