eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) Receives “Buy” Rating from Benchmark

Benchmark reissued their buy rating on shares of eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) in a report published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $58.00 price objective on the e-commerce company’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $55.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on eBay from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley raised eBay from an underweight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of eBay from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $51.35.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of eBay stock opened at $49.65 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $50.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.86. The company has a market cap of $25.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.89, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 1.99. eBay has a one year low of $37.17 and a one year high of $52.93.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The e-commerce company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. eBay had a return on equity of 29.11% and a net margin of 25.97%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that eBay will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

eBay Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. eBay’s payout ratio is currently 21.51%.

eBay announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 27th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the e-commerce company to purchase up to 8.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions 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 stock was sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total transaction of $50,129.95. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 31,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,372,140.64. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in eBay by 28.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,244 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $277,000 after acquiring an additional 1,160 shares during the last quarter. WBI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of eBay during the first quarter worth about $1,158,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of eBay by 158.0% in the 1st quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 26,728 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 16,370 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of eBay by 35.7% in the 1st quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 150,661 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $7,952,000 after purchasing an additional 39,636 shares during the period. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in eBay during the 1st quarter worth approximately $183,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

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.