eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $70.86 and last traded at $70.84, with a volume of 4249226 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $63.17.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on EBAY shares. Mizuho boosted their price target on eBay from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com lowered eBay from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on eBay from $70.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of eBay from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of eBay from $60.00 to $58.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, eBay has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.92.

eBay Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $33.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.35. 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 has a fifty day moving average price of $63.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.48.

eBay Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,167 shares of eBay stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total transaction of $77,757.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,079 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,336,213.77. This trade represents a 1.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total transaction of $260,082.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 27,283 shares of company stock valued at $1,715,462. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On eBay

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of eBay by 14.3% in the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 23,864 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $1,282,000 after buying an additional 2,978 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its position in eBay by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 14,577 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $783,000 after acquiring an additional 875 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of eBay by 241.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 3,696 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $199,000 after acquiring an additional 2,613 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC increased its holdings in shares of eBay by 73.7% in the second quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 40,522 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $2,177,000 after purchasing an additional 17,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its position in eBay by 23.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 5,117 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 967 shares during the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.