Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY)

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors acquired 17,615 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 100% compared to the average volume of 8,796 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other eBay news, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.21, for a total value of $355,556.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 531,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,575,066.07. The trade was a 1.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.93, for a total value of $67,072.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 65,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,225,644.40. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 27,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,704,778. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On eBay

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in eBay by 90.7% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 45,500 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $2,963,000 after buying an additional 21,636 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of eBay by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 53,580 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $3,489,000 after acquiring an additional 1,063 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its position in eBay by 794.2% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 70,616 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after acquiring an additional 62,719 shares in the last quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department bought a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,307,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in eBay by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 9,151,026 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $573,220,000 after purchasing an additional 335,035 shares during the period. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

eBay Price Performance

EBAY opened at $66.19 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $31.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.35. eBay has a 12 month low of $40.33 and a 12 month high of $71.52. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.97.

eBay Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on EBAY. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of eBay in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $60.00 to $52.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on eBay from $56.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of eBay in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on eBay from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.83.

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.