Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Short Interest Up 73.3% in December
by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat GemElectronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA – Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,539,048 shares, an increase of 73.3% from the November 30th total of 3,773,450 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,182,106 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Approximately 2.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 2.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,182,106 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms recently commented on EA. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $210.00 target price (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Oppenheimer cut shares of Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, UBS Group set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Electronic Arts and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $181.21.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Stock Performance
EA traded down $0.30 during trading on Monday, hitting $204.49. 209,331 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,306,252. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Electronic Arts has a 1-year low of $115.21 and a 1-year high of $204.84. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $202.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $180.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.79, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.76.
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The game software company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.07). Electronic Arts had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 15.30%. The business had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.11 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Electronic Arts will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current year.
Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 3rd. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is currently 22.22%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts
In other Electronic Arts news, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.11, for a total transaction of $510,275.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 53,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,848,038.28. This trade represents a 4.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.11, for a total transaction of $244,932.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 33,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,849,931.60. This represents a 3.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 124,969 shares of company stock worth $25,155,156 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Electronic Arts
A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AIA Group Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 24.2% during the third quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 40,778 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $8,225,000 after buying an additional 7,934 shares in the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC lifted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 0.6% during the third quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 11,723 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $2,365,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Saranac Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts during the third quarter worth approximately $290,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Electronic Arts by 246.9% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 6,987 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $1,409,000 after acquiring an additional 4,973 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 75.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 85,245 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $17,194,000 after purchasing an additional 36,769 shares during the period. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Electronic Arts
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.