Franklin Resources Inc. Boosts Stake in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 883,986 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after acquiring 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.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in eBay during the third quarter valued at approximately $105,506,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter worth $96,214,000. Boston Partners grew its position in eBay by 35.2% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,856,276 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $362,823,000 after acquiring an additional 1,524,691 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in eBay by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,719,128 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $292,350,000 after acquiring an additional 677,389 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in eBay during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,805,000. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value 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. The trade was a 4.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,225,644.40. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,676 shares of company stock worth $2,613,807 in the last three months. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

eBay Trading Down 6.0 %

NASDAQ EBAY opened at $62.40 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.43. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $67.26 and its 200 day moving average is $65.03. eBay Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.52 and a twelve month high of $71.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut eBay from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of eBay from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, eBay currently has a consensus 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.