Investors Buy Large Volume of eBay Put Options (NASDAQ:EBAY)

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 46,520 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 322% compared to the typical volume of 11,011 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Mazen Rawashdeh sold 1,920 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.90, for a total transaction of $157,248.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 5,746 shares in the company, valued at $470,597.40. This represents a 25.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Julie A. Loeger sold 2,896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.44, for a total transaction of $238,746.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 55,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,615,815.60. The trade was a 4.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 43,584 shares of company stock worth $3,918,282. Company insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On eBay

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of eBay by 433.9% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. High Point Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in eBay in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in eBay in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new stake in eBay during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Jessup Wealth Management Inc bought a new position in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on eBay from $115.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of eBay in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price target on eBay from $95.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on eBay in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of eBay in a research note on Thursday. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $96.68.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of EBAY stock opened at $84.75 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $88.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.33. The stock has a market cap of $38.31 billion, a PE ratio of 19.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. eBay has a 12 month low of $58.71 and a 12 month high of $101.15.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The e-commerce company reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.06. eBay had a net margin of 18.30% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.87 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. eBay’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. eBay has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.530-1.590 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that eBay will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.22%.

Key Headlines Impacting eBay

Here are the key news stories impacting eBay this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and strong Q1 guidance — eBay reported Q4 non‑GAAP EPS of $1.41 vs. $1.35 expected and revenue above estimates; management issued Q1 EPS and revenue guidance above consensus, which supports near‑term earnings momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Depop acquisition expands Gen‑Z exposure — eBay agreed to buy Depop from Etsy for ~$1.2B in cash, giving it a foothold in secondhand fashion and younger buyers that could boost GMV and ad/commerce monetization over time. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns lifted — Board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.31 (≈7% increase) and authorized an incremental $2.0B repurchase program, signaling capital‑return confidence. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price‑target increases — Multiple firms (Needham, Baird, Wells Fargo, Evercore, Goldman Sachs among others) raised targets or upgraded coverage following the results/Depop deal, adding buying interest. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest report shows no clear change — a short‑interest entry in the feed is effectively zero/invalid and provides no actionable signal on positioning. (Data appears unreliable.)
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy put option activity — unusually large volume of put buys was reported around the print, which can reflect hedging or bearish speculative positioning and adds short‑term downside pressure. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term dilution and margin pressure flagged — management and analysts note the Depop deal will be a low single‑digit drag to near‑term non‑GAAP operating income with accretion only later (and Q4 gross margin slipped due to investments like managed shipping/Authenticity). Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and some institutional selling — recent filings cited notable insider sales and large institutional rebalancing in Q4, which can cap upside if persistent. Article Title

eBay Company Profile

eBay Inc is a global e-commerce company that operates an online marketplace connecting individual consumers and businesses for the sale and purchase of new, used and collectible goods. Founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar and headquartered in San Jose, California, eBay grew from its early auction-style site into a diversified platform offering both auction-format listings and fixed-price “Buy It Now” transactions. The company completed an initial public offering in the late 1990s and has since evolved its platform and services to support a broad range of product categories and buyer preferences.

The company’s core business centers on its marketplace platform, which provides listing, search and transaction capabilities for millions of items across consumer goods, electronics, fashion, collectibles and more.