eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) Downgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on eBay from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on eBay from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on eBay from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on eBay from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a buy rating and issued a $58.00 target price on shares of eBay in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $52.67.

eBay Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of eBay stock opened at $54.55 on Wednesday. eBay has a 12-month low of $37.17 and a 12-month high of $55.15. The stock has a market cap of $27.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The business’s 50 day moving average is $52.02 and its 200-day moving average is $47.69.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The e-commerce company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.05. eBay had a return on equity of 29.11% and a net margin of 25.97%. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that eBay will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

eBay announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 27th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the e-commerce company to repurchase up to 8.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

eBay Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.98%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.51%.

Insider Transactions at eBay

In other eBay news, SVP Marie Oh Huber sold 49,070 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.63, for a total transaction of $2,435,344.10. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 177,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,803,915.33. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Marie Oh Huber sold 49,070 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.63, for a total transaction of $2,435,344.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 177,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,803,915.33. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Julie A. Loeger sold 7,419 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.20, for a total value of $402,109.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 70,797 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,837,197.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 58,572 shares of company stock valued at $2,949,144. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of eBay

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in eBay during the first quarter worth $30,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in eBay during the first quarter worth $29,000. CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in eBay during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. American National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of eBay by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. American National Bank now owns 600 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of eBay by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 732 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

About eBay

eBay Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates marketplace platforms that connect buyers and sellers in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, and internationally. The company's marketplace platform includes its online marketplace at ebay.com, off-platform businesses, and the eBay suite of mobile apps.