River Global Investors LLP Reduces Stock Position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

River Global Investors LLP lessened its holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 49.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,649 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after selling 17,422 shares during the quarter. River Global Investors LLP’s holdings in eBay were worth $1,094,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter valued at about $105,506,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of eBay during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $96,214,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of eBay by 23.2% in the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,460,879 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $152,451,000 after purchasing an additional 463,015 shares during the period. DJE Kapital AG bought a new position in eBay in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,833,000. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in eBay by 94.4% during the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 812,571 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $50,339,000 after purchasing an additional 394,588 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays set a $72.00 target price on eBay and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price on shares of eBay in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of eBay in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of eBay from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.54.

Insider Activity at eBay

In related news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total value of $260,082.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 71,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,659,778.80. This represents a 5.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $378,281.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 21,524 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,509 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

eBay Stock Up 3.9 %

NASDAQ:EBAY opened at $70.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. eBay Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.52 and a twelve month high of $71.61. The company has a market cap of $32.86 billion, a PE ratio of 17.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45. The company’s 50 day moving average is $66.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.13.

eBay Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. eBay’s payout ratio is 29.07%.

eBay 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.