Smithfield Trust Co Increases Stock Position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Smithfield Trust Co lifted its holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,411 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in eBay were worth $274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EBAY. Wealth Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of eBay in the 3rd quarter valued at $543,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in eBay by 14.4% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,433 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 938 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in eBay in the third quarter worth $213,000. National Pension Service grew its holdings in eBay by 11.9% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 973,015 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $63,353,000 after purchasing an additional 103,733 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in eBay by 5.4% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 112,605 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $7,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,751 shares during the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

eBay Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EBAY opened at $66.55 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $31.01 billion, a PE ratio of 16.72, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $66.37 and a 200 day moving average of $64.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. eBay Inc. has a one year low of $48.52 and a one year high of $71.61.

eBay Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. eBay’s payout ratio is presently 29.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EBAY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on eBay from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on eBay from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on eBay from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.54.

Insider Activity at eBay

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 5,252 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.63, for a total transaction of $334,184.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,141,040.40. The trade was a 7.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,989 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total value of $260,082.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 71,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,659,778.80. The trade was a 5.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 21,524 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,509. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

eBay 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.