Unigestion Holding SA Boosts Holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Unigestion Holding SA raised its stake in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Free Report) by 44.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 86,769 shares of the e-commerce company's stock after acquiring an additional 26,769 shares during the quarter. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in eBay were worth $5,877,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of eBay by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 4,411 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of eBay by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,417 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $150,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. lifted its position in shares of eBay by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 34,651 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $2,147,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its holdings in eBay by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 4,353 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in eBay by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,904 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at eBay

In other news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 28,060 shares of eBay stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.82, for a total transaction of $1,903,029.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at $4,413,725.60. This trade represents a 30.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Julie A. Loeger sold 92,895 shares of eBay stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total value of $6,694,013.70. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 123,282 shares in the company, valued at $8,883,700.92. This trade represents a 42.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 280,650 shares of company stock worth $19,637,729 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

eBay Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of EBAY traded up $0.87 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $78.61. 4,755,818 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,974,083. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The business's 50-day moving average price is $68.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.30. eBay Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.72 and a 1 year high of $79.50.

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

eBay Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. eBay's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on EBAY. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of eBay in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of eBay from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Daiwa America upgraded shares of eBay from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded eBay from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 26th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets raised eBay from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, May 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $67.65.

About eBay

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.