Smith Moore & CO. Grows Stake in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Smith Moore & CO. boosted its position in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,406 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after acquiring an additional 279 shares during the quarter. Smith Moore & CO.’s holdings in eBay were worth $211,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of EBAY. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in eBay during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of eBay in the third quarter worth $36,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 448 shares during the period. 87.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at eBay

In other eBay news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.93, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of eBay stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $265,423.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 94,392 shares in the company, valued at $6,329,927.52. This represents a 4.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,676 shares of company stock worth $2,613,807 in the last 90 days. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on eBay from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price target on shares of eBay in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of eBay from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of eBay from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of eBay from $64.00 to $62.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.46.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of eBay stock opened at $62.40 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $67.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.04. eBay Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.52 and a 52 week high of $71.61. The company has a market capitalization of $29.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.43.

eBay Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. eBay’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.07%.

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.