eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Short Interest Update

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 16,610,000 shares, a drop of 8.2% from the March 31st total of 18,090,000 shares. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 6,700,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EBAY traded up $0.73 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $52.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,975,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,365,235. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 2.44 and a current ratio of 2.44. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $50.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.11, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.33. eBay has a fifty-two week low of $37.17 and a fifty-two week high of $52.93.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The e-commerce company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.04. eBay had a net margin of 27.36% and a return on equity of 29.16%. The business had revenue of $2.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. eBay's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that eBay will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were given a $0.27 dividend. This is a boost from eBay's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. eBay's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.69%.

eBay declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 27th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the e-commerce company to repurchase up to 8.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total value of $50,129.95. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 31,888 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,372,140.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of eBay

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in eBay by 39.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,418,131 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $547,516,000 after acquiring an additional 3,534,030 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of eBay by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 11,167,875 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $495,407,000 after purchasing an additional 289,071 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of eBay by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,182,095 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $360,749,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130,089 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in eBay by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,979,291 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $307,717,000 after purchasing an additional 209,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in eBay by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,248,438 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $272,551,000 after buying an additional 1,141,288 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EBAY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded eBay from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of eBay from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of eBay from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on eBay in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on eBay from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $49.17.

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.

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