Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Purchases Shares of 4,364 eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 4,364 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock, valued at approximately $270,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of eBay by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 4,411 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of eBay by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,488 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of eBay by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,417 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of eBay by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,226 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in shares of eBay by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 34,651 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $2,147,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on EBAY. Citigroup raised their price target on eBay from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on eBay from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Bank of America decreased their target price on eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on eBay from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays set a $72.00 target price on eBay and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.54.

Insider Transactions at eBay

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 5,252 shares of eBay stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.63, for a total value of $334,184.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,141,040.40. This trade represents a 7.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,989 shares of eBay stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total value of $260,082.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 71,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,659,778.80. This represents a 5.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 21,524 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,509. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

eBay Trading Down 4.4 %

Shares of EBAY stock opened at $65.22 on Wednesday. eBay Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.52 and a 12-month high of $71.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $66.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is a boost from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. eBay’s payout ratio is 29.07%.

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.