Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires Shares of 4,350 Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,350 shares of the game software company's stock, valued at approximately $636,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Electronic Arts by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 26,060 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $3,813,000 after buying an additional 2,186 shares during the period. Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth $224,000. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in Electronic Arts by 121.9% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,422 shares of the game software company's stock worth $1,525,000 after acquiring an additional 5,725 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 37,038 shares of the game software company's stock worth $5,419,000 after acquiring an additional 5,835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 2,014 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.64, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,623,638.12. This represents a 7.88% 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, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.14, for a total transaction of $650,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 37,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,216.10. This trade represents a 11.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,342,580. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Electronic Arts from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Electronic Arts from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. HSBC raised shares of Electronic Arts from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $161.29.

Electronic Arts Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of EA stock traded up $1.44 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $151.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,171,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,728,645. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Electronic Arts Inc. has a one year low of $115.21 and a one year high of $168.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.74. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $144.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.97.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. Electronic Arts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.92%.

Electronic Arts 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.