Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) Given New $135.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) had its price target decreased by Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the game software company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Electronic Arts from $145.00 to $142.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Ascendiant Capital Markets boosted their price target on Electronic Arts from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. DA Davidson assumed coverage on Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Electronic Arts from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $175.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $154.65.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EA opened at $145.61 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.05, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.79. Electronic Arts has a one year low of $115.21 and a one year high of $168.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $137.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last announced its quarterly 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 14.28% and a return on equity of 17.80%. Sell-side analysts expect that Electronic Arts will post 4.71 EPS for the current year.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.34%.

Insider Activity at Electronic Arts

In other Electronic Arts news, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.65, for a total transaction of $218,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,772,156.45. The trade was a 7.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.68, for a total value of $713,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 42,615 shares in the company, valued at $6,080,308.20. This represents a 10.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,000 shares of company stock worth $3,019,290 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Electronic Arts

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 141.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 200 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, LGT Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Electronic Arts

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.