Boston Partners Purchases 1,524,691 Shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Boston Partners grew its position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 35.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,856,276 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,524,691 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned about 1.22% of eBay worth $362,823,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of eBay during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in eBay by 115.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 836 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its stake in eBay by 37.8% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 839 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.93, for a total value of $67,072.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at $4,225,644.40. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 530,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,709,615.50. The trade was a 1.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,283 shares of company stock worth $796,241. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

eBay Stock Performance

EBAY opened at $67.44 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $67.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.52. eBay Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.52 and a 1-year high of $71.61. The company has a market cap of $31.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.94, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is an increase from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $60.00 to $52.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 target price on shares of eBay in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, eBay presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.54.

About eBay

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.