eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Short Interest Up 30.7% in March

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 22,950,000 shares, a growth of 30.7% from the February 28th total of 17,560,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 5,200,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days. Currently, 4.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on EBAY. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of eBay from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of eBay from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Susquehanna increased their target price on eBay from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded eBay from a "hold" rating to an "underperform" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $52.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $65.46.

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eBay Price Performance

NASDAQ EBAY traded down $3.96 on Friday, reaching $62.40. 8,338,448 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,880,404. The stock has a market cap of $29.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.43. eBay has a 12 month low of $48.52 and a 12 month high of $71.61. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.04. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. This is a positive change from eBay's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. eBay's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.07%.

Insider Activity at eBay

In other eBay news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $265,423.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 94,392 shares in the company, valued at $6,329,927.52. This represents a 4.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 28,060 shares of eBay stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.82, for a total value of $1,903,029.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at $4,413,725.60. The trade was a 30.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 38,676 shares of company stock valued at $2,613,807. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of eBay

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EBAY. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of eBay by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 28,493,042 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $1,765,148,000 after acquiring an additional 3,149,934 shares during the last quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP lifted 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 valued at $692,517,000 after purchasing an additional 2,277,839 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of eBay during the third quarter valued at approximately $105,506,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of eBay by 304.2% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,105,270 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $130,421,000 after purchasing an additional 1,584,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of eBay in the fourth quarter worth $96,214,000. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.