Smith Group Asset Management LLC Acquires 16,424 Shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Smith Group Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 384,462 shares of the e-commerce company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,424 shares during the quarter. eBay comprises 2.0% of Smith Group Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Smith Group Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.08% of eBay worth $26,040,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in EBAY. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in eBay in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of eBay in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in eBay during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.48% of the company's stock.

eBay Trading Up 2.2%

NASDAQ EBAY traded up $1.64 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $76.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,177,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,039,618. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. eBay Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.03 and a 52 week high of $79.84. The stock has a market cap of $35.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.27.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The e-commerce company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.55 billion. eBay had a net margin of 19.78% and a return on equity of 36.60%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that eBay Inc. will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

eBay Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. eBay's dividend payout ratio is 27.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Julie A. Loeger sold 92,895 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total value of $6,694,013.70. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 123,282 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,883,700.92. This represents a 42.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,167 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.21, for a total value of $77,267.07. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 65,080 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,308,946.80. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 287,858 shares of company stock valued at $20,529,676. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EBAY has been the topic of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of eBay from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded eBay from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on eBay from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on eBay from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on eBay from $65.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, eBay has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $67.85.

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.