eBay Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:EBAY)

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) saw unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 17,615 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 100% compared to the typical daily volume of 8,796 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on EBAY. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of eBay from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of eBay from $70.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of eBay from $62.00 to $59.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of eBay from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $62.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 5,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.63, for a total value of $334,184.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,141,040.40. This trade represents a 7.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.91, for a total transaction of $336,993.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 548,042 shares in the company, valued at $32,833,196.22. This represents a 1.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,149 shares of company stock worth $1,704,778. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On eBay

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of eBay during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in eBay during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in eBay during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in eBay by 115.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 836 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its holdings in eBay by 276.0% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 846 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EBAY opened at $66.19 on Friday. eBay has a 52 week low of $40.33 and a 52 week high of $71.52. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.35.

eBay Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.14%.

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.