Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Sells 28,934 Shares of eBay Inc. $EBAY

Key Points

• Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its eBay stake by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 28,934 shares and leaving it with 295,722 shares valued at about $25.8 million.
• Other institutions were active as well, with firms like Allianz Asset Management and Cerity Partners increasing their holdings; overall, 87.48% of eBay’s stock is owned by institutional investors.
• eBay reported strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, while also maintaining a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share and issuing Q2 guidance of $1.09 to $1.14 EPS.

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its stake in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Free Report) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 295,722 shares of the e-commerce company's stock after selling 28,934 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned about 0.07% of eBay worth $25,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of EBAY. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in eBay by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 3,626,424 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $315,862,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167,019 shares in the last quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in eBay by 29.9% in the 4th quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 47,465 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $4,134,000 after purchasing an additional 10,935 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in eBay by 115.3% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 283,592 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $24,701,000 after purchasing an additional 151,899 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in eBay by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 19,991 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $1,754,000 after purchasing an additional 4,008 shares during the period. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in eBay by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key eBay News

Here are the key news stories impacting eBay this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage points to improving investor sentiment around eBay’s valuation and momentum, with the stock up strongly over the past 90 days and year-to-date trends showing renewed confidence in the business. Weighing eBay’s Valuation As Narrative And DCF Signals Diverge After Recent Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: eBay launched Easy and Free Returns on parts and accessories, which could support conversion rates and buyer trust on its marketplace. eBay launches Easy and Free Returns on parts and accessories
• Positive Sentiment: eBay also rolled out a new global brand campaign, “Meanwhile on eBay Live,” which may help engagement and marketplace activity. eBay launches new global brand campaign ‘Meanwhile on eBay Live’
• Neutral Sentiment: News that eBay’s CEO sold shares under a pre-arranged trading plan may slightly weigh on sentiment, but it does not necessarily indicate a negative change in the company’s outlook. eBay NASDAQ: EBAY CEO Jamie Iannone Sells 11,110 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and commentary pieces continue to frame eBay as a quality consumer marketplace with ongoing long-term appeal, but these stories are not immediate catalysts. eBay's Developments In Focus Categories Will Likely Soar Gross Margin Value
• Negative Sentiment: The UK Competition and Markets Authority is formally scrutinizing eBay’s bid for Depop, increasing the risk of delays, extra conditions, or a potential blocked deal. UK competition watchdog launches probe into eBay's purchase of Depop

eBay Stock Performance

NASDAQ EBAY opened at $106.41 on Thursday. eBay Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.84 and a 52-week high of $119.31. The company has a fifty day moving average of $105.77 and a 200-day moving average of $94.11. The company has a market capitalization of $47.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The e-commerce company reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.08. eBay had a return on equity of 46.11% and a net margin of 17.58%.The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.38 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. eBay has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.090-1.140 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that eBay Inc. will post 4.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

eBay Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. eBay's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.12%.

Insider Transactions at eBay

In other eBay news, SVP Jordan Douglas Bradle Sweetnam sold 1,010 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.61, for a total value of $116,766.10. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 32,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,716,399.06. This represents a 3.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 16,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.44, for a total transaction of $1,542,361.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 94,479 shares in the company, valued at $8,733,638.76. The trade was a 15.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 148,063 shares of company stock worth $15,356,989. 0.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of eBay from $60.00 to $65.00 in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on eBay from $114.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on eBay from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Benchmark raised their price target on eBay from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $98.00 price target on eBay in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.84.

About eBay

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.

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