Choate Investment Advisors Boosts Holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Choate Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,220 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the quarter. Choate Investment Advisors’ holdings in eBay were worth $819,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in eBay by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 53,580 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $3,489,000 after buying an additional 1,063 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of eBay by 172.5% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 11,175 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $692,000 after purchasing an additional 7,074 shares during the period. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of eBay during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,307,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in shares of eBay by 794.2% in the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 70,616 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $4,598,000 after purchasing an additional 62,719 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of eBay by 5,091.9% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 142,051 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $8,800,000 after buying an additional 139,315 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at eBay

In other news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,989 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total value of $260,082.80. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.38, for a total transaction of $350,887.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 542,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,825,430.24. This represents a 1.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 16,272 shares of company stock worth $1,056,324 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

eBay Price Performance

NASDAQ EBAY opened at $65.28 on Monday. eBay Inc. has a one year low of $48.52 and a one year high of $71.61. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $66.97 and a 200 day moving average of $64.45. 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 $30.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.40, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45.

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. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is a boost from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. eBay’s payout ratio is presently 29.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EBAY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of eBay from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $52.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating on shares of eBay in a report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on eBay from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of eBay from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.