eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

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

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on EBAY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on eBay from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Susquehanna raised their target price on eBay from $43.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Morgan Stanley upgraded eBay from an underweight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on eBay from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on eBay in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a sell rating and a $38.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, eBay has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $49.17.

eBay Price Performance

Shares of EBAY stock opened at $52.02 on Thursday. 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 has a 12 month low of $37.17 and a 12 month high of $52.93. The firm has a market cap of $26.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.97, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $50.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.56.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The e-commerce company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.04. eBay had a return on equity of 29.16% and a net margin of 27.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that eBay will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This is a boost from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. eBay’s payout ratio is presently 20.69%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at eBay

In other eBay news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 31,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,372,140.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of eBay by 39.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,418,131 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $547,516,000 after purchasing an additional 3,534,030 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of eBay by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 11,167,875 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $495,407,000 after acquiring an additional 289,071 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of eBay by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,182,095 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $360,749,000 after acquiring an additional 1,130,089 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of eBay by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,979,291 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $307,717,000 after acquiring an additional 209,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of eBay by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,248,438 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $272,551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,141,288 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

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.