DnB Asset Management AS Boosts Position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

DnB Asset Management AS lifted its position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,769 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after purchasing an additional 754 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in eBay were worth $6,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in eBay during the third quarter worth $36,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in eBay during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in eBay in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of eBay by 115.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 836 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EBAY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on eBay from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of eBay in a report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of eBay from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on eBay from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.54.

eBay Stock Up 0.5 %

eBay stock opened at $67.16 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $67.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.95. The stock has a market cap of $31.30 billion, a PE ratio of 16.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45. eBay Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.52 and a 1-year high of $71.61. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is a boost from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. eBay’s payout ratio is presently 29.07%.

Insider Activity at eBay

In other news, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.38, for a total value 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 represents a 1.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $265,423.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,392 shares in the company, valued at $6,329,927.52. This trade represents a 4.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,241 shares of company stock valued at $1,061,665 over the last three months. 0.38% of the stock is 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.