Natixis Advisors L.P. Sells 40,438 Shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Natixis Advisors L.P. lessened its stake in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 335,445 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after selling 40,438 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in eBay were worth $14,632,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GHE LLC boosted its position in eBay by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. GHE LLC now owns 17,480 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $762,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of eBay by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 11,411 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $498,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of eBay by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in eBay by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 27,233 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $1,188,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its position in eBay by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 5,560 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on eBay from $43.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price objective on shares of eBay in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of eBay from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of eBay from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of eBay from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at eBay

In other news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 1,165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total value of $50,129.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 31,888 shares in the company, valued at $1,372,140.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of eBay stock opened at $49.38 on Tuesday. eBay Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.17 and a 1 year high of $52.93. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $50.92 and its 200 day moving average is $44.92. The stock has a market cap of $24.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.84, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.99.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The e-commerce company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.05. eBay had a net margin of 25.97% and a return on equity of 29.11%. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that eBay Inc. will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

eBay Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.51%.

eBay declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 27th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the e-commerce company to repurchase up to 8.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

eBay 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.