eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) Sets New 1-Year High at $52.82

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $52.82 and last traded at $52.45, with a volume of 1495276 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $51.92.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on EBAY shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of eBay from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. UBS Group upped their price target on eBay from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on eBay from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho upped their price target on eBay from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on eBay from $55.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.84.

eBay Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $45.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.27. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $27.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.31.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The e-commerce company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $2.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that eBay Inc. will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This is an increase from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.69%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other eBay news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 31,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,372,140.64. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On eBay

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wimmer Associates 1 LLC lifted its holdings in shares of eBay by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Wimmer Associates 1 LLC now owns 8,583 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $374,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its holdings in eBay by 4.3% in the third quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,297 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. GHE LLC lifted its stake in eBay by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. GHE LLC now owns 17,480 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $762,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. 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 worth $498,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. 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 worth $371,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. 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.