Bridgewater Associates LP Purchases 1,498,566 Shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Bridgewater Associates LP grew its stake in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Free Report) by 531.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,780,737 shares of the e-commerce company's stock after buying an additional 1,498,566 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP owned approximately 0.37% of eBay worth $110,317,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EBAY. Independent Franchise Partners LLP raised its position in eBay by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 11,178,638 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $692,517,000 after purchasing an additional 2,277,839 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of eBay by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 9,151,026 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $573,220,000 after buying an additional 335,035 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of eBay by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,936,508 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $367,767,000 after buying an additional 82,904 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of eBay by 35.2% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,856,276 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $362,823,000 after buying an additional 1,524,691 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in eBay by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,719,128 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $292,350,000 after buying an additional 677,389 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EBAY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of eBay from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on eBay from $71.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Benchmark raised their price target on eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America decreased their target price on eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on eBay from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $65.13.

eBay Price Performance

EBAY traded up $0.79 on Friday, hitting $66.26. 3,338,503 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,948,774. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. eBay Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.52 and a 12 month high of $71.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.65, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a 50-day moving average of $66.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.96.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. This is a boost from eBay's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. eBay's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.07%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,167 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.21, for a total value of $77,267.07. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,946.80. The trade was a 1.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $265,423.48. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 94,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,329,927.52. This trade represents a 4.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 46,310 shares of company stock valued at $3,121,626. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.