eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) Trading Down 0.2% on Analyst Downgrade

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) shares were down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on the stock from $63.00 to $61.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the stock. eBay traded as low as $65.59 and last traded at $66.91. Approximately 1,550,395 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 4,942,974 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.05.

EBAY has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group increased their price target on eBay from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on eBay from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com lowered eBay from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of eBay from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $64.83.

Insider Transactions at eBay

In other eBay news, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of eBay stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.25, for a total value of $378,281.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 530,998 shares in the company, valued at $35,709,615.50. The trade was a 1.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,167 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.21, for a total transaction of $77,267.07. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,946.80. The trade was a 1.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 46,310 shares of company stock worth $3,121,626 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of eBay

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in eBay by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 28,493,042 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $1,765,148,000 after buying an additional 3,149,934 shares during the period. Independent Franchise Partners LLP boosted its position in shares of eBay by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 11,178,638 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $692,517,000 after acquiring an additional 2,277,839 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in eBay by 304.2% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,105,270 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $130,421,000 after acquiring an additional 1,584,404 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in eBay during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $96,214,000. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its stake in eBay by 35.2% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,856,276 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $362,823,000 after purchasing an additional 1,524,691 shares during the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

eBay Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $31.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.43.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is an increase from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. eBay’s payout ratio is presently 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.