Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Trims Stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC cut its stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 11.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,272 shares of the game software company’s stock after selling 903 shares during the quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $1,064,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of EA. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 141.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 200 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Electronic Arts in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

EA opened at $145.67 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $133.15 and its 200 day moving average is $144.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $37.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.07, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.78. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 12-month low of $115.21 and a 12-month high of $168.50.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 4.71 EPS for the current year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In other news, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.45, for a total value of $215,175.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,386 shares in the company, valued at $3,354,721.70. The trade was a 6.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.57, for a total value of $147,570.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,216 shares in the company, valued at $4,311,405.12. This trade represents a 3.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 22,000 shares of company stock valued at $3,018,560 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on EA shares. StockNews.com cut Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $167.00 to $159.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $163.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $155.65.

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.