Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Cuts Stake in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lessened its holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 162,058 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after selling 539 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in eBay were worth $10,039,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of eBay in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in eBay in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of eBay by 115.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 836 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of eBay by 37.8% during the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 839 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on EBAY shares. Barclays set a $72.00 target price on shares of eBay and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of eBay from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup raised their price target on eBay from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of eBay in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, eBay currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.54.

eBay Trading Down 4.4 %

NASDAQ EBAY opened at $65.22 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $66.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.32. eBay Inc. has a one year low of $48.52 and a one year high of $71.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market cap of $30.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45.

eBay Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was 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 owns 542,248 shares in the company, valued at $33,825,430.24. This represents a 1.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,989 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total transaction of $260,082.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 71,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,659,778.80. This trade represents a 5.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,524 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,509. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company 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.