Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 13,456,257 shares, an increase of 41.9% from the January 29th total of 9,480,042 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,336,181 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days. Approximately 5.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 5.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,336,181 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EA traded down $0.58 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $200.48. The company had a trading volume of 918,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,591,119. Electronic Arts has a twelve month low of $129.24 and a twelve month high of $204.88. The stock has a market cap of $50.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $202.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.48.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.57%.

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In other news, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.50, for a total transaction of $997,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 33,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,754,671. This represents a 12.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.63, for a total transaction of $240,756.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 31,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,251,630.80. The trade was a 3.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 27,600 shares of company stock worth $5,589,823. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $309,000. DGS Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Electronic Arts by 19.0% during the fourth quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $424,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in Electronic Arts by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 41,694 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $8,519,000 after purchasing an additional 3,777 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,183 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on EA. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Electronic Arts from $207.00 to $202.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Electronic Arts currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $188.30.

Electronic Arts Company 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.