eBay Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:EBAY)

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

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total value of $260,082.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 71,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,659,778.80. This represents a 5.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.21, for a total value of $355,556.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 531,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,575,066.07. The trade was a 1.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 26,116 shares of company stock worth $1,637,705 over the last three months. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EBAY. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in eBay in the third quarter worth about $36,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of eBay in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of eBay in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 448 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its holdings in eBay by 276.0% during the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 846 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

eBay Stock Performance

NASDAQ EBAY traded up $1.13 on Friday, hitting $66.19. The stock had a trading volume of 3,717,872 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,050,470. The company’s 50-day moving average is $63.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.85. eBay has a one year low of $40.33 and a one year high of $71.52. The stock has a market cap of $31.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

eBay Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on EBAY. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of eBay from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on eBay from $70.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of eBay in a research note on Monday, December 16th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of eBay from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of eBay from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.83.

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.