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

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 18,090,000 shares, a decline of 6.3% from the March 15th total of 19,310,000 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. 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 issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of eBay from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.21.

eBay Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of EBAY traded down $0.34 on Wednesday, reaching $49.91. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 906,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,449,543. The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. eBay has a twelve month low of $37.17 and a twelve month high of $52.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.85 billion, a PE ratio of 9.63, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $48.77 and a 200-day moving average of $44.12.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The e-commerce company reported $1.07 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $2.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that eBay will post 3.69 EPS for the current year.

eBay announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 27th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows 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 board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors 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 2.16%. 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 is currently 20.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On eBay

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EBAY. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in eBay in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in eBay in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. bought a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in eBay in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in eBay by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 732 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.48% 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.