Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Free Report) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,615,508 shares of the e-commerce company's stock after selling 876,187 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 12.45% of eBay worth $3,693,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EBAY. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in eBay in the third quarter valued at approximately $105,506,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of eBay during the fourth quarter worth about $96,214,000. Boston Partners lifted its stake in eBay by 35.2% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,856,276 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $362,823,000 after acquiring an additional 1,524,691 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in eBay by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,719,128 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $292,350,000 after purchasing an additional 677,389 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of eBay by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,460,879 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $152,451,000 after acquiring an additional 463,015 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.48% of the company's stock.

eBay Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EBAY traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $66.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,083,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,748,370. eBay Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.52 and a 12-month 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 fifty day moving average price is $67.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.77. The stock has a market cap of $30.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.66, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45.

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eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. This is a boost from eBay's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. eBay's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $265,423.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 94,392 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,329,927.52. This represents a 4.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.25, for a total value of $378,281.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 530,998 shares in the company, valued at $35,709,615.50. This trade represents a 1.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 16,241 shares of company stock valued at $1,061,665. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EBAY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on eBay from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of eBay in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of eBay from a "hold" rating to an "underperform" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $60.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of eBay in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on eBay from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $65.54.

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.