Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 15,760 Shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 1.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,132,953 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after selling 15,760 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in eBay were worth $76,735,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in eBay by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 28,493,042 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $1,765,148,000 after purchasing an additional 3,149,934 shares during the period. Independent Franchise Partners LLP increased its position in eBay by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 11,178,638 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $692,517,000 after purchasing an additional 2,277,839 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in eBay by 304.2% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,105,270 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $130,421,000 after purchasing an additional 1,584,404 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $96,214,000. Finally, Boston Partners increased its position in eBay by 35.2% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,856,276 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $362,823,000 after purchasing an additional 1,524,691 shares during the period. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of EBAY stock opened at $74.46 on Tuesday. eBay Inc. has a one year low of $52.03 and a one year high of $79.84. The company’s 50-day moving average is $72.81 and its 200 day moving average is $68.25. The company has a market capitalization of $34.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The e-commerce company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. eBay had a net margin of 19.78% and a return on equity of 36.60%. The company had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.55 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. eBay’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that eBay Inc. will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

eBay Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of eBay in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. TD Securities boosted their price objective on shares of eBay from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of eBay from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of eBay from $80.00 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.85.

Insider Activity at eBay

In other eBay news, SVP Jordan Douglas Bradle Sweetnam sold 23,597 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.38, for a total transaction of $1,825,935.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,436,677.94. This represents a 34.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 2,985 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.67, for a total transaction of $234,829.95. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 92,053 shares in the company, valued at $7,241,809.51. This represents a 3.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 287,858 shares of company stock worth $20,529,676 in the last ninety days. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.