Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Short Interest Update

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of 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. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,182,106 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 2,182,106 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EA traded up $0.01 on Friday, hitting $204.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 474,395 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,956,402. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $202.12 and a 200-day moving average of $180.26. The company has a market capitalization of $51.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.76. Electronic Arts has a 12-month low of $115.21 and a 12-month high of $204.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The game software company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. Electronic Arts had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 15.30%. Electronic Arts’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.11 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Electronic Arts will post 4.71 EPS for the current year.

Electronic Arts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on EA shares. UBS Group set a $210.00 price target on Electronic Arts and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Argus set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Electronic Arts in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, DZ Bank lowered shares of Electronic Arts from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Electronic Arts presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $181.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts

In other news, Director Jeff Huber sold 79,381 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.17, for a total value of $15,969,075.77. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.06, for a total value of $502,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 55,648 shares in the company, valued at $11,188,586.88. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 132,669 shares of company stock valued at $26,721,336. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EA. Norden Group LLC purchased a new position in Electronic Arts in the second quarter valued at about $214,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 34.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 40,483 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $6,467,000 after purchasing an additional 10,453 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the first quarter valued at about $319,000. Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 5.7% during the second quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 278,069 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $44,408,000 after acquiring an additional 15,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the second quarter worth about $205,000. 90.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.