Electronic Arts Inc. $EA Stake Lessened by Rathbones Group PLC

Rathbones Group PLC cut its stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 84.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 29,993 shares of the game software company’s stock after selling 163,243 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $6,128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pentwater Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts during the third quarter valued at approximately $968,160,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 44.6% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,217,029 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $673,393,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300,336 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc lifted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 165.5% in the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,279,249 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $204,296,000 after acquiring an additional 797,461 shares in the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Electronic Arts in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $156,760,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Electronic Arts by 26.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,069,543 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $619,127,000 after buying an additional 638,667 shares in the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Electronic Arts

In related news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total transaction of $999,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 28,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,770,157.10. This trade represents a 14.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,200 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.81, for a total transaction of $240,972.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,534,323.60. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 28,340 shares of company stock valued at $5,702,736 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

NASDAQ EA opened at $201.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s fifty day moving average is $201.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $202.24. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 52-week low of $141.19 and a 52-week high of $204.88.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be issued 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, May 27th. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $196.64.

Electronic Arts 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.