BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) Stock

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) had its price target increased by BMO Capital Markets from $59.00 to $63.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. BMO Capital Markets currently has a market perform rating on the e-commerce company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of eBay from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price target on shares of eBay in a report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $60.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.33.

eBay Stock Down 8.2 %

EBAY stock opened at $63.48 on Thursday. eBay has a 52 week low of $46.98 and a 52 week high of $71.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $66.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.66. The company has a market capitalization of $30.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.35.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.14%.

Insider Activity at eBay

In other news, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.21, for a total transaction of $355,556.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 531,167 shares in the company, valued at $33,575,066.07. The trade was a 1.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 5,252 shares of eBay stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.63, for a total transaction of $334,184.76. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,149 shares of company stock worth $1,746,065. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On eBay

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in eBay in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in eBay in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in eBay during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of eBay in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 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.