Franklin Resources Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY - Free Report) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 883,986 shares of the e-commerce company's stock after purchasing an additional 99,608 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.18% of eBay worth $54,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EBAY. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in eBay by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,799 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $979,000 after purchasing an additional 2,196 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in eBay by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 665,814 shares of the e-commerce company's stock worth $41,247,000 after buying an additional 221,129 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in eBay by 34.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,330 shares of the e-commerce company's stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 1,105 shares during the last quarter. Allianz SE bought a new position in eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $168,000. Finally, Allstate Corp purchased a new position in eBay during the 4th quarter worth $888,000. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company's stock.

eBay Price Performance

NASDAQ EBAY traded down $0.03 on Tuesday, reaching $61.16. 1,810,027 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,887,220. The stock has a market cap of $28.50 billion, a PE ratio of 15.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.43. eBay Inc. 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 $67.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.03. 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 1.90%. 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 Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of eBay stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.93, for a total value of $67,072.69. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,225,644.40. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.25, for a total value of $378,281.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 530,998 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,709,615.50. This represents a 1.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 46,176 shares of company stock worth $3,111,432 in the last 90 days. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EBAY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of eBay from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on eBay from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup increased their price target on eBay from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on eBay from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $65.46.

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.