eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Short Interest Down 6.3% in March

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 18,090,000 shares, a decrease of 6.3% from the March 15th total of 19,310,000 shares. Approximately 3.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 6,740,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on EBAY shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of eBay from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of eBay from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of eBay from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of eBay in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of eBay from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, eBay currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.21.

Insider Activity at eBay

In related news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total transaction of $50,129.95. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 31,888 shares in the company, valued at $1,372,140.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On eBay

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EBAY. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of eBay by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 41,990 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $2,404,000 after acquiring an additional 3,655 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $526,000 after acquiring an additional 1,638 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of eBay by 34.7% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 461,862 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $26,460,000 after acquiring an additional 118,952 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in shares of eBay by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 223,976 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $12,825,000 after acquiring an additional 13,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in eBay by 17.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EBAY opened at $49.45 on Thursday. eBay has a 52 week low of $37.17 and a 52 week high of $52.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.47, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.16. The company has a quick ratio of 2.44, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The e-commerce company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that eBay will post 3.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date 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 20.69%.

eBay announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 27th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the e-commerce company to buy up to 8.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.