Yousif Capital Management LLC Cuts Holdings in Electronic Arts Inc. $EA

Key Points

• Yousif Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in Electronic Arts Inc. by 5.1% in the second quarter, now owning 29,715 shares worth approximately $4.7 million.
• Ameriprise Financial Inc. significantly increased its ownership of Electronic Arts by 197.5% during the first quarter, holding now 2,916,693 shares valued at around $421.5 million.
• Analysts have varied opinions on Electronic Arts stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a target price of $177.00, while some firms have upgraded it to a "Buy" rating with higher price targets.

Yousif Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,715 shares of the game software company's stock after selling 1,587 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC's holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $4,746,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EA. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Electronic Arts by 197.5% during the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,916,693 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $421,524,000 after buying an additional 1,936,313 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new position in Electronic Arts in the first quarter worth $225,102,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Electronic Arts in the first quarter worth $203,537,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Electronic Arts by 62.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,253,505 shares of the game software company's stock worth $470,197,000 after purchasing an additional 1,254,194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV grew its holdings in Electronic Arts by 3,477.8% in the first quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,163,747 shares of the game software company's stock worth $168,185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,131,220 shares during the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on EA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Arete raised shares of Electronic Arts from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $210.00 price target (up from $170.00) on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Monday, September 29th. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $177.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Electronic Arts news, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.79, for a total value of $504,475.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 53,092 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,713,434.68. This represents a 4.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.52, for a total transaction of $205,824.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,080 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,473,241.60. This trade represents a 4.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 39,500 shares of company stock valued at $7,025,155 in the last 90 days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

NASDAQ:EA opened at $200.20 on Wednesday. Electronic Arts Inc. has a one year low of $115.21 and a one year high of $203.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market cap of $50.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.18, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.77. The firm's fifty day moving average is $178.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.37.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 27th were issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 27th. Electronic Arts's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.

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