Wright Investors Service Inc. Acquires New Holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Wright Investors Service Inc. bought a new stake in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 19,731 shares of the e-commerce company's stock, valued at approximately $861,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of eBay by 9.5% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 41,990 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $2,404,000 after buying an additional 3,655 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in eBay by 21.7% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,176 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 1,638 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in eBay by 34.7% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 461,862 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $26,460,000 after buying an additional 118,952 shares during the period. Aviva PLC increased its holdings in eBay by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 223,976 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $12,825,000 after buying an additional 13,127 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in eBay by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,715 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $614,000 after buying an additional 1,555 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EBAY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of eBay in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $55.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $49.21.

eBay Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ EBAY traded up $0.44 during trading on Friday, hitting $50.39. The stock had a trading volume of 4,296,154 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,483,859. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $49.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.25. The company has a market capitalization of $26.10 billion, a PE ratio of 9.65, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 2.44. eBay Inc. has a 12 month low of $37.17 and a 12 month high of $52.93.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The e-commerce company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.51 billion. eBay had a net margin of 27.36% and a return on equity of 29.16%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that eBay Inc. will post 3.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This is a positive change from eBay's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. eBay's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.69%.

eBay announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the e-commerce company to repurchase up to 8.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total value of $50,129.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 31,888 shares in the company, valued at $1,372,140.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

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.