Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) Upgraded by Hsbc Global Res to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Robert W. Baird set a $168.00 price objective on Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James downgraded shares of Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Electronic Arts from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Electronic Arts from $167.00 to $159.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $161.83.

Electronic Arts Stock Down 1.5 %

Electronic Arts stock opened at $153.30 on Wednesday. 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 market capitalization of $39.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $143.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.90. Electronic Arts has a twelve month low of $115.21 and a twelve month high of $168.50.

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

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 28th. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.14, for a total value of $650,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 37,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,216.10. This trade represents a 11.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.57, for a total value of $388,925.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 40,189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,252,202.73. The trade was a 5.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,000 shares of company stock worth $3,118,120 in the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Electronic Arts in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its stake in Electronic Arts by 141.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 200 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its holdings in Electronic Arts by 56.4% in the first quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 208 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

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.