Swedbank AB Sells 13,026 Shares of eBay Inc. $EBAY

Key Points

• Swedbank AB slightly trimmed its eBay stake in the fourth quarter, selling 13,026 shares and leaving it with 1,576,795 shares valued at about $137.3 million.
• eBay’s stock has drawn renewed attention from takeover speculation tied to GameStop and Ryan Cohen, helping lift sentiment and pushing the shares near 52-week highs.
• Analysts remain cautious overall: despite several price-target increases, the stock still carries a consensus “Hold” rating with an average target price of $107.90.

Swedbank AB decreased its position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Free Report) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,576,795 shares of the e-commerce company's stock after selling 13,026 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned 0.35% of eBay worth $137,339,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of EBAY. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in eBay by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 8,309,698 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $755,767,000 after buying an additional 1,808,976 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $68,999,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in eBay by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,891,398 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $262,973,000 after buying an additional 701,530 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $63,098,000. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in eBay by 236.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 893,087 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $81,226,000 after buying an additional 628,023 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on EBAY shares. Truist Financial boosted their target price on eBay from $94.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on eBay from $102.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citizens Jmp boosted their price objective on eBay from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on eBay from $60.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on eBay from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.90.

eBay News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting eBay this week:

• Positive Sentiment: GameStop raised its economic exposure to eBay through derivatives and filings, increasing speculation that Ryan Cohen may push for a takeover or activist campaign that could unlock value for EBAY shareholders. GameStop Raises Economic Exposure to eBay
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that GameStop is interested in buying eBay helped lift sentiment, as takeover speculation can boost a stock on expectations of a higher offer price or strategic restructuring. eBay (EBAY) Stock Is Up, What You Need To Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage are debating whether Ryan Cohen should be taken seriously as an eBay investor, adding attention but not yet confirming a formal deal or major operating change. Should Ryan Cohen be taken seriously as an eBay investor?
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted eBay’s recent surge to 52-week highs, suggesting the stock has already priced in some of the takeover-related optimism. Why did ARM, SLS, EBAY stocks surge to 52-week highs?
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary warned that a GameStop bid could damage its own credit rating and valuation, which may temper enthusiasm if the takeover thesis becomes less credible or more complicated. GameStop Wants to Buy eBay. It Could Collapse Its Credit Rating and Valuation in the Process.

Insider Transactions at eBay

In related news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 16,685 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.44, for a total value of $1,542,361.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 94,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,733,638.76. This represents a 15.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jordan Douglas Bradle Sweetnam sold 1,010 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 32,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,716,399.06. The trade was a 3.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 86,953 shares of company stock valued at $8,287,444 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

eBay Price Performance

Shares of eBay stock opened at $115.75 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The company has a market cap of $51.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50 day moving average of $100.54 and a 200 day moving average of $91.57. eBay Inc. has a 52 week low of $71.53 and a 52 week high of $119.31.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. eBay had a return on equity of 46.11% and a net margin of 17.58%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.38 earnings per share. eBay has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.090-1.140 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that eBay Inc. will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current year.

eBay Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. eBay's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.12%.

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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