eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.45.

Several research firms recently issued reports on EBAY. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $44.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $43.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of eBay in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $50.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd.

eBay Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EBAY opened at $49.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $24.99 billion, a PE ratio of 9.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $50.92 and its 200-day moving average is $44.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 1.99. eBay has a 52 week low of $37.17 and a 52 week high of $52.93.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The e-commerce company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. eBay had a net margin of 25.97% and a return on equity of 29.11%. eBay’s revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that eBay will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

eBay declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 27th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the e-commerce company to purchase up to 8.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

eBay Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 30th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other eBay news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total value of $50,129.95. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 31,888 shares in the company, valued at $1,372,140.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EBAY. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in eBay by 39.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,418,131 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $547,516,000 after buying an additional 3,534,030 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in eBay by 34.3% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,839,329 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $254,712,000 after buying an additional 1,491,485 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in eBay in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,019,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in eBay by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,248,438 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $272,551,000 after buying an additional 1,141,288 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in eBay by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,182,095 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $360,749,000 after buying an additional 1,130,089 shares during the period. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

eBay Company Profile

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.