AlphaQuest LLC Grows Stock Holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 72,975.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,923 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,919 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in eBay were worth $181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Smithfield Trust Co increased its holdings in eBay by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 4,411 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in eBay by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,488 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in eBay by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,417 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in eBay by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,226 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. increased its holdings in eBay by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 34,651 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $2,147,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

eBay Stock Up 1.6 %

NASDAQ EBAY opened at $65.28 on Monday. eBay Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.52 and a 52 week high of $71.61. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.45. The firm has a market cap of $30.42 billion, a PE ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45.

eBay Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. eBay’s payout ratio is currently 29.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on EBAY shares. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of eBay in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of eBay from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of eBay from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of eBay from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note 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 issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.38, for a total transaction of $350,887.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 542,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,825,430.24. This trade represents a 1.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,225,644.40. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 16,272 shares of company stock valued at $1,056,324. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.