eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-seven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.54.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on eBay from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating on shares of eBay in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded eBay from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of eBay stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $265,423.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,392 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,329,927.52. The trade was a 4.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.38, for a total transaction of $350,887.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 542,248 shares in the company, valued at $33,825,430.24. The trade was a 1.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,241 shares of company stock valued at $1,061,665 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On eBay

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of eBay by 30.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 90,569 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $5,897,000 after buying an additional 20,899 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in eBay by 15.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,981 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd increased its holdings in eBay by 335.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 19,470 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $1,268,000 after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $109,000. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC lifted its stake in eBay by 19.7% in the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 6,441 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058 shares in the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of EBAY stock opened at $66.81 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.84. eBay has a 12 month low of $48.52 and a 12 month high of $71.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.13 billion, a PE ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This is an increase from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.07%.

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.