eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Short Interest Up 7.2% in August

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) was the target of a large increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 17,550,000 shares, an increase of 7.2% from the August 15th total of 16,370,000 shares. Approximately 3.3% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 5,170,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other eBay news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,181 shares of eBay stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.31, for a total value of $51,149.11. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 21,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $941,039.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,181 shares of eBay stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.31, for a total transaction of $51,149.11. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 21,728 shares in the company, valued at $941,039.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 5,679 shares of eBay stock in a transaction on Friday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.36, for a total value of $246,241.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 17,988 shares in the company, valued at $779,959.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of eBay

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of eBay by 272.2% during the 2nd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 603 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares during the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of eBay during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Union Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of eBay during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings in shares of eBay by 50.9% during the 1st quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 691 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.87% of the company’s stock.

eBay Stock Down 0.4 %

eBay stock traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $43.73. 1,029,385 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,904,757. The business has a fifty day moving average of $44.82 and a 200 day moving average of $44.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 2.45 and a current ratio of 2.45. The firm has a market cap of $23.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.78, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.35. eBay has a 12-month low of $35.92 and a 12-month high of $52.23.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The e-commerce company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.51 billion. eBay had a return on equity of 34.71% and a net margin of 13.49%. eBay’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.80 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that eBay will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

eBay Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 1st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on EBAY shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on eBay from $45.00 to $46.00 in a report on Monday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on eBay from $49.00 to $48.00 in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Bank of America reduced their target price on eBay from $54.00 to $52.00 in a report on Thursday, July 27th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on eBay in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their price objective on eBay from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.29.

About eBay

eBay Inc operates marketplace platforms that connect buyers and sellers in the United States and internationally. The company's marketplace platform includes its online marketplace at ebay.com and the eBay suite of mobile apps. Its platforms enable users to list, buy, and sell various products. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.