eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Thursday.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a neutral rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of eBay in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of eBay from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of eBay in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. They issued a peer perform rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of eBay in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. They set a neutral rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of eBay from $38.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $58.05.

eBay Trading Up 0.4 %

EBAY opened at $66.33 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. eBay has a one year low of $37.17 and a one year high of $67.72. The company has a market cap of $33.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.21, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.57.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The e-commerce company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.88. The company had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. eBay had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 29.69%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that eBay will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

eBay Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. eBay’s payout ratio is currently 21.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.09, for a total value of $371,756.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 559,291 shares in the company, valued at $36,963,542.19. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.09, for a total transaction of $371,756.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 559,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,963,542.19. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 25,000 shares of eBay stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.91, for a total value of $1,597,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 70,332 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,494,918.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,224 shares of company stock valued at $2,600,666. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of eBay

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of eBay during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in eBay by 894.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 517 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of eBay during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of eBay during the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of eBay in the first quarter valued at $29,000. 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.