Retirement Systems of Alabama Decreases Stake in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Retirement Systems of Alabama lessened its position in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 572,941 shares of the game software company’s stock after selling 51,817 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned 0.22% of Electronic Arts worth $83,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Electronic Arts during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its position in Electronic Arts by 141.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 200 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Electronic Arts during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in Electronic Arts by 156.6% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 272 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Electronic Arts by 31.8% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 290 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

Electronic Arts Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EA opened at $121.25 on Wednesday. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 52-week low of $115.21 and a 52-week high of $168.50. The stock has a market cap of $31.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.79. The business’s 50 day moving average is $145.96 and its 200 day moving average is $147.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.41 by ($1.07). Electronic Arts had a net margin of 14.12% and a return on equity of 18.56%. Sell-side analysts predict that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In related news, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.30, for a total value of $244,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,360 shares in the company, valued at $3,814,688. The trade was a 6.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.47, for a total value of $832,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 52,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,758,819.05. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,500 shares of company stock valued at $3,562,510 in the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on EA shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $160.00 to $145.00 in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Argus upped their price objective on Electronic Arts from $161.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Electronic Arts from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $163.00 price objective on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Electronic Arts from $163.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Electronic Arts currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.38.

Electronic Arts 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.