eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) Stock Price Up 2.2% - Time to Buy?

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Get Free Report) shot up 2.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $66.85 and last traded at $66.96. 1,302,968 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 4,942,659 shares. The stock had previously closed at $65.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on EBAY. StockNews.com downgraded shares of eBay from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on eBay from $71.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $72.00 price objective on shares of eBay in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of eBay from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target 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. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $65.13.

eBay Stock Up 1.2 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $66.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.96. 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 company has a market capitalization of $30.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.65, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.43.

eBay Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.29 dividend. This is a positive change from eBay's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. eBay's payout ratio is currently 29.07%.

Insider Transactions at eBay

In other eBay news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $265,423.48. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,329,927.52. This represents a 4.02 % 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, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.25, for a total transaction of $378,281.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 530,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,709,615.50. This trade represents a 1.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 46,310 shares of company stock worth $3,121,626 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of eBay

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co bought a new stake in shares of eBay during the third quarter valued at about $203,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in eBay during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,947,000. Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $9,716,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $241,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in eBay by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 67,209 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $4,376,000 after purchasing an additional 4,677 shares during the period. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by 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.