DnB Asset Management AS Acquires 2,601 Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

DnB Asset Management AS grew its stake in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,678,447 shares of the game software company’s stock after buying an additional 2,601 shares during the quarter. Electronic Arts accounts for approximately 1.1% of DnB Asset Management AS’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $245,557,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EA. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Electronic Arts by 0.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,671,657 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $954,358,000 after acquiring an additional 26,505 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in Electronic Arts by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,990,729 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $431,315,000 after purchasing an additional 122,494 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,789,283 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $261,772,000 after acquiring an additional 23,289 shares during the period. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,607,817 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $235,224,000 after acquiring an additional 95,190 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,456,520 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $213,089,000 after acquiring an additional 36,153 shares during the last quarter. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

Shares of EA opened at $145.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.62. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 52-week low of $115.21 and a 52-week high of $168.50. The company has a market capitalization of $37.87 billion, a PE ratio of 36.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.78.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.41 by ($1.07). Electronic Arts had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 14.28%. Equities research analysts predict that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on EA shares. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $173.00 target price on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. BNP Paribas cut Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America upped their target price on Electronic Arts from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Electronic Arts from $163.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $155.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts

In related news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.57, for a total value of $147,570.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 29,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,311,405.12. This represents a 3.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.68, for a total transaction of $713,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 42,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,080,308.20. This represents a 10.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 22,000 shares of company stock valued at $3,018,560. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Electronic Arts Company 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.