Metis Global Partners LLC Reduces Holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Metis Global Partners LLC cut its holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,081 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after selling 1,347 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in eBay were worth $1,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in eBay during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of eBay during the third quarter valued at $46,000. Cambridge Trust Co. increased its position in eBay by 135.0% during the 4th quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 1,175 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in eBay in the 3rd quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in eBay in the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of EBAY stock opened at $49.69 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $25.14 billion, a PE ratio of 9.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.98. eBay Inc. has a 52 week low of $37.17 and a 52 week high of $52.93.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The e-commerce company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.05. eBay had a return on equity of 29.11% and a net margin of 25.97%. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that eBay Inc. will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

eBay Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 30th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.51%.

eBay declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 27th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the e-commerce company to repurchase up to 8.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on EBAY shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of eBay from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Barclays boosted their price target on eBay from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. StockNews.com cut eBay from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Piper Sandler upped their target price on eBay from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on eBay from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, eBay currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at eBay

In other eBay news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total transaction of $50,129.95. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 31,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,372,140.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total transaction of $50,129.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 31,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,372,140.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Marie Oh Huber sold 49,070 shares of eBay stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.63, for a total transaction of $2,435,344.10. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 177,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,803,915.33. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.