eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Holdings Raised by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,482 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in eBay were worth $835,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EBAY. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of eBay during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of eBay by 115.5% during the 4th 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. grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on EBAY. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of eBay from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of eBay from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price objective on shares of eBay in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of eBay from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of eBay from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, eBay currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.54.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.93, for a total value of $67,072.69. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 65,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,225,644.40. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.38, for a total transaction of $350,887.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 542,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,825,430.24. The trade was a 1.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,524 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,509. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

eBay Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of EBAY opened at $65.13 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45. 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 52 week low of $48.52 and a 52 week high of $71.61.

eBay Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is a positive change from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.07%.

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.