Alps Advisors Inc. Acquires 19,684 Shares of eBay Inc. $EBAY

Key Points

• Alps Advisors increased its eBay stake 191.3% in the third quarter, adding 19,684 shares and ending the period with 29,972 shares valued at about $3.18 million.
• eBay reported quarterly earnings of $1.51 per share, beating estimates of $1.41; revenue was $3.21 billion, up 13.7% year over year.
• eBay announced a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, equivalent to $1.24 annually and a 1.0% yield.

Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Free Report) by 191.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,972 shares of the e-commerce company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,684 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc.'s holdings in eBay were worth $3,179,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of EBAY. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in eBay in the 2nd quarter valued at $7,929,000. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of eBay in the 2nd quarter worth $23,393,000. Marvin & Palmer Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of eBay in the 2nd quarter worth $3,989,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of eBay during the 2nd quarter worth $16,967,000. Finally, Glenview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of eBay during the 2nd quarter worth $1,544,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.48% of the company's stock.

eBay Price Performance

NASDAQ:EBAY opened at $120.97 on Tuesday. eBay Inc. has a 52 week low of $78.03 and a 52 week high of $127.74. The stock's fifty day moving average is $112.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.71. The company has a market capitalization of $53.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The e-commerce company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.12 billion. eBay had a return on equity of 49.20% and a net margin of 16.84%. The company's revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. Equities analysts expect that eBay Inc. will post 4.75 EPS for the current year.

eBay Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 4th will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 4th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. eBay's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.07%.

Key eBay News

Here are the key news stories impacting eBay this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks article included eBay among non-tech Nasdaq stocks with improving earnings estimates and growth opportunities, offering a modestly positive investment signal. Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Jamie Iannone sold 11,110 shares for about $1.37 million, reducing his direct holding by 5.16%. The transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which makes it less clearly a signal about the company’s near-term outlook. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: The UK government is considering restricting under-16s’ access to online marketplaces including eBay, citing concerns about contact with strangers. If adopted, the measure could require age-verification changes and limit access to younger users; it remains under consideration, not a finalized ban. Sky News article

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 11,110 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.98, for a total value of $1,366,307.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 204,049 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,093,946.02. The trade was a 5.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Jordan Sweetnam sold 1,014 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.39, for a total transaction of $102,809.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 35,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,604,008.94. This represents a 2.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 34,344 shares of company stock valued at $3,795,885. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on EBAY shares. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on shares of eBay from $110.00 to $106.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on shares of eBay in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of eBay from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $91.00 to $106.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $115.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of eBay from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.52.

eBay Company Profile

eBay Inc operates a global online marketplace that connects buyers and sellers. Its platform supports both auction-style listings and fixed-price sales across a broad range of categories, including electronics, fashion, collectibles, home goods and auto parts.

Founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 as AuctionWeb, the company adopted the eBay name in 1997. It also provides services and tools for sellers, including advertising, payments and shipping features that support transactions on its marketplace.

eBay serves customers and businesses in markets around the world.

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