eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Stake Trimmed by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lowered its stake in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 25,560 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after selling 3,345 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in eBay were worth $1,583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of EBAY. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in eBay during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of eBay in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of eBay in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of eBay by 115.5% in 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, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of eBay by 37.8% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 839 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

eBay Stock Performance

EBAY opened at $65.78 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $30.65 billion, a PE ratio of 16.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. eBay Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.52 and a 1 year high of $71.61. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.64.

eBay Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. This is a boost from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is 29.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on EBAY. UBS Group boosted their price target on eBay from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Benchmark boosted their price target on eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on eBay from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Bank of America reduced their target price on eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on eBay from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.54.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 value of $67,072.69. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 94,392 shares in the company, valued at $6,329,927.52. This trade represents a 4.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,241 shares of company stock worth $1,061,665 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

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.