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

Shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-nine analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seventeen have given a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $67.73.

Several equities analysts recently commented on EBAY shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of eBay from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 26th. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of eBay from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of eBay from $80.00 to $79.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on eBay from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,167 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,946.80. The trade was a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,329,927.52. This represents a 4.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 296,279 shares of company stock valued at $20,872,193. 0.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On eBay

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of eBay in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in eBay in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in eBay in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of eBay in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of eBay in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.48% of the company's stock.

eBay Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of EBAY stock traded down $0.56 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $77.32. 1,149,408 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,980,055. eBay has a fifty-two week low of $51.72 and a fifty-two week high of $79.84. The stock's 50 day moving average is $69.54 and its 200-day moving average is $67.09. 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 company has a market cap of $35.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.27.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The e-commerce company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. eBay had a return on equity of 30.97% and a net margin of 19.68%. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that eBay will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

eBay Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. eBay's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.62%.

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.