Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Plans $0.19 Quarterly Dividend

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of 0.19 per share by the game software company on Wednesday, March 18th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th.

Electronic Arts has a payout ratio of 8.5% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Electronic Arts to earn $5.59 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 13.6%.

Electronic Arts Price Performance

Shares of EA traded down $3.83 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $197.56. 8,972,543 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,471,968. The company has a market cap of $49.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $203.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $190.21. Electronic Arts has a 52-week low of $125.95 and a 52-week high of $204.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Electronic Arts

In related 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 transaction of $15,969,075.77. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Andrew Wilson sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.11, for a total transaction of $1,020,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 43,858 shares in the company, valued at $8,951,856.38. This trade represents a 10.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 123,769 shares of company stock valued at $24,943,734. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake 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 last quarter. Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 278,069 shares of the game software company’s stock valued at $44,408,000 after acquiring an additional 15,032 shares during the period. Alta Advisers Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts during the second quarter worth about $205,000. NatWest Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of Electronic Arts in the third quarter worth $10,414,000. Finally, Walter Public Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Electronic Arts by 41.7% during the third quarter. Walter Public Investments Inc. now owns 48,017 shares of the game software company’s stock worth $9,685,000 after acquiring an additional 14,134 shares during the period. 90.23% of the stock is 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.