Virtu Financial LLC Makes New $658,000 Investment in Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 4,497 shares of the game software company’s stock, valued at approximately $658,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 3.6% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 23,622 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $3,388,000 after purchasing an additional 821 shares during the period. Commerce Bank increased its stake in shares of Electronic Arts by 1.8% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 6,596 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $946,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 7.0% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,715 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Electronic Arts by 46.9% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 29,177 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $4,185,000 after purchasing an additional 9,310 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Electronic Arts in the third quarter valued at about $221,000. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Stock Performance

EA opened at $144.55 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $37.67 billion, a PE ratio of 36.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.78. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 1 year low of $115.21 and a 1 year high of $168.50. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $132.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.61. 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 forecast that Electronic Arts Inc. will post 4.71 EPS for the current year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts’s payout ratio is 19.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on EA. Ascendiant Capital Markets lifted their price target on Electronic Arts from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Raymond James downgraded shares of Electronic Arts from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $145.00 to $142.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, DA Davidson started coverage on Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $155.65.

Insider Transactions at Electronic Arts

In other news, insider Laura Miele sold 2,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.83, for a total value of $327,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 47,514 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,216,256.62. The trade was a 5.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.03, for a total value of $122,030.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 28,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,443,198.48. This trade represents a 3.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,000 shares of company stock valued at $3,166,740. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Electronic Arts Profile

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.