Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Trims Stock Position in Electronic Arts Inc. $EA

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lessened its position in shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) by 5.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 153,284 shares of the game software company’s stock after selling 8,853 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Electronic Arts were worth $24,458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norden Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Electronic Arts in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $214,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 34.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 40,483 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $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 in the 1st quarter worth about $319,000. Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $44,408,000 after buying an additional 15,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd acquired a new position in Electronic Arts during the 2nd quarter worth $205,000. 90.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Electronic Arts Trading Down 0.3%

EA stock opened at $201.34 on Friday. Electronic Arts Inc. has a 52 week low of $115.21 and a 52 week high of $203.75. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $191.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $168.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $50.22 billion, a PE ratio of 58.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 3rd. Electronic Arts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Electronic Arts from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. HSBC downgraded Electronic Arts from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $191.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $210.00 price target (up from $170.00) on shares of Electronic Arts in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $181.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.80, for a total transaction of $240,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,995,904. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stuart Canfield sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.40, for a total value of $1,322,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 5,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,045,476. This represents a 55.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 38,200 shares of company stock worth $7,149,882 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.