eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Shares Purchased by Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 83,007 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in eBay were worth $5,142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in eBay during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of eBay during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of eBay in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in eBay by 115.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 836 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in eBay by 37.8% during the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 839 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EBAY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on eBay from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays set a $72.00 target price on eBay and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark boosted their price target on eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised eBay from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.54.

eBay Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EBAY opened at $65.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $30.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. eBay Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.52 and a 12 month high of $71.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $67.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.56.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is a positive change from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is 29.07%.

Insider Activity at eBay

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.93, for a total transaction of $67,072.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,225,644.40. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of eBay stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.38, for a total transaction of $350,887.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 542,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,825,430.24. This trade represents a 1.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,283 shares of company stock valued at $796,241 over the last 90 days. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.