eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $49.21.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on EBAY. StockNews.com lowered shares of eBay from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of eBay from $55.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of eBay from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of eBay in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of eBay from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th.

eBay Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ EBAY opened at $51.89 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $48.24 and its 200-day moving average is $43.96. The stock has a market cap of $26.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.33. eBay has a twelve month low of $37.17 and a twelve month high of $52.93. 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 results on Tuesday, February 27th. The e-commerce company reported $1.07 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 firm had revenue of $2.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that eBay will post 3.69 EPS for the current year.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. This is a positive change from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. eBay’s payout ratio is presently 20.69%.

eBay announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 27th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the e-commerce company to purchase up to 8.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at eBay

In related news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 31,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,372,140.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of eBay

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wimmer Associates 1 LLC lifted its stake in eBay by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Wimmer Associates 1 LLC now owns 8,583 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. increased its holdings in eBay by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,297 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. GHE LLC increased its holdings in eBay by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. GHE LLC now owns 17,480 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its position in shares of eBay by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 11,411 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $498,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in shares of eBay by 3.3% during the second quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 8,316 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.