Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $4.84 Million Stock Position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 111,025 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in eBay were worth $4,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in eBay in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in eBay in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new position in shares of eBay during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Gyon Technologies Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of eBay in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 87.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

eBay Stock Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ EBAY opened at $50.39 on Friday. eBay Inc. has a twelve month low of $37.17 and a twelve month high of $52.93. The stock has a market cap of $26.10 billion, a PE ratio of 9.65, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 2.44 and a current ratio of 2.44.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The e-commerce company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that eBay Inc. will post 3.69 EPS for the current year.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. This is an increase from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. eBay’s payout ratio is currently 20.69%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on EBAY. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of eBay from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley raised eBay from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on eBay in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Barclays upped their target price on eBay from $55.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, eBay has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at eBay

In other news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total transaction of $50,129.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly 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 is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.21% 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.