Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Short Interest Update

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 13,456,257 shares, a growth of 41.9% from the January 29th total of 9,480,042 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,336,181 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days. Approximately 5.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 5.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 4,336,181 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research cut shares of Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $207.00 to $202.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $186.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts

In related news, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.90, for a total value of $299,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 5,897 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,178,810.30. This trade represents a 20.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.11, for a total transaction of $1,020,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 43,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,951,856.38. This represents a 10.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 27,600 shares of company stock worth $5,589,823 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pentwater Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 128.1% in the fourth quarter. Pentwater Capital Management LP now owns 10,950,000 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $2,237,414,000 after buying an additional 6,150,000 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $643,674,000. HBK Investments L P bought a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $390,267,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 44.6% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,217,029 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $673,393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Electronic Arts by 176.6% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,862,898 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $297,465,000 after purchasing an additional 1,189,455 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EA opened at $200.57 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $202.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $195.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.74. Electronic Arts has a 12-month low of $128.02 and a 12-month high of $204.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.57%.

Electronic Arts Company 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.