eBay Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:EBAY)

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 17,615 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 100% compared to the average volume of 8,796 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on EBAY shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of eBay in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of eBay in a research report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on eBay from $60.00 to $58.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $60.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of eBay from $70.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, eBay presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.83.

eBay Price Performance

EBAY stock opened at $66.19 on Friday. eBay has a 1 year low of $40.33 and a 1 year high of $71.52. The company has a market cap of $31.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $63.63 and a 200 day moving average of $61.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

eBay Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. eBay’s payout ratio is currently 27.14%.

Insider Activity at eBay

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the business’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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,225,644.40. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.38, for a total value of $350,887.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 542,248 shares in the company, 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 27,149 shares of company stock worth $1,704,778. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On eBay

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in eBay in the third quarter worth about $36,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of eBay during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of eBay during the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew 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 valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. grew its holdings in shares of eBay by 276.0% during the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 846 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.