Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. Acquires 1,846 Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 7.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,364 shares of the game software company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,846 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $3,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its stake in Electronic Arts by 333.3% during the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 195 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 102.0% in the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 200 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Electronic Arts

In related news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $435,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 7,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,095,185. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 3,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $435,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 7,553 shares in the company, valued at $1,095,185. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.86, for a total value of $144,860.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 29,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,246,860.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 26,039 shares of company stock valued at $3,517,006 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

NASDAQ:EA traded down $1.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $141.99. 2,605,304 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,138,164. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $137.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $37.73 billion, a PE ratio of 30.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.79. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 12-month low of $117.47 and a 12-month high of $148.22.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The game software company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. Electronic Arts had a net margin of 16.83% and a return on equity of 18.81%. On average, analysts expect that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 5.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 29th were given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 29th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup lowered Electronic Arts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $148.00 to $161.00 in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $153.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Electronic Arts from $163.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com raised Electronic Arts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Electronic Arts in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Electronic Arts currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.26.

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.