Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases Shares of 1,553,098 eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,553,098 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,214,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.32% of eBay as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in eBay in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of eBay during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of eBay during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of eBay by 115.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 836 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of eBay during the third quarter worth approximately $55,000. 87.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price on shares of eBay in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays set a $72.00 price target on shares of eBay and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of eBay from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.54.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 5,252 shares of eBay stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.63, for a total transaction of $334,184.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at $4,141,040.40. This trade represents a 7.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of eBay stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.38, for a total transaction of $350,887.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 542,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,825,430.24. This represents a 1.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,524 shares of company stock worth $1,390,509 over the last three months. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

eBay Trading Up 3.9 %

EBAY opened at $70.51 on Friday. eBay Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.52 and a 1-year high of $71.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $32.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $66.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.18.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is a boost from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.07%.

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.