StockNews.com Upgrades eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Thursday.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on eBay from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on eBay in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a sell rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho raised their price target on eBay from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of eBay from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of eBay from $43.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, eBay presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $49.17.

eBay Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of EBAY opened at $52.02 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.55. eBay has a 1 year low of $37.17 and a 1 year high of $52.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 2.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.33.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The e-commerce company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $2.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. eBay’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that eBay will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is an increase from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 31,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,372,140.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On eBay

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Caprock Group LLC boosted its position in eBay by 8.8% during the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 8,403 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of eBay by 46.9% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 93,011 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $4,101,000 after buying an additional 29,708 shares in the last quarter. Harrington Investments INC grew its position in shares of eBay by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Harrington Investments INC now owns 36,371 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $1,604,000 after buying an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC raised its stake in shares of eBay by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 13,919 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $614,000 after acquiring an additional 2,231 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in eBay by 9.5% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,772 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 589 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.