Sculptor Capital LP Raises Position in Electronic Arts Inc. $EA

Sculptor Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 131.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 748,000 shares of the game software company’s stock after acquiring an additional 425,000 shares during the quarter. Electronic Arts comprises approximately 1.6% of Sculptor Capital LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Sculptor Capital LP’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $152,839,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 138 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 150.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 231 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 333.3% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 260 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Electronic Arts from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Argus cut shares of Electronic Arts from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Electronic Arts to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Electronic Arts presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $196.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Electronic Arts news, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.81, for a total value of $240,972.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 27,560 shares in the company, valued at $5,534,323.60. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,066 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.66, for a total transaction of $1,021,609.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 85,974 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,337,516.84. The trade was a 5.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,206 shares of company stock worth $6,293,083. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Electronic Arts Stock Down 0.1%

EA opened at $203.12 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Electronic Arts Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.97 and a fifty-two week high of $204.88. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $202.22 and its 200 day moving average is $202.38. The stock has a market cap of $50.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.65.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is presently 21.78%.

Electronic Arts News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Electronic Arts this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EA is creating a new advertising platform that could unlock incremental revenue by bringing brands into its games and live experiences. Electronic Arts Introduces EA Advertising, Launching Brands Directly Into Gameplay and Live Experiences
• Neutral Sentiment: Management says the ads will be integrated in a “non-disruptive” way, suggesting EA is trying to balance monetization with player retention. Electronic Arts launches EA Advertising, a new way for brands to connect with fans through its games
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors and players may worry that a bigger ad push could make EA’s games feel more commercial, potentially hurting user sentiment and engagement. Electronic Arts Announces Plans To Cram Far More Advertising Into Its Games

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.