Mizuho Securities USA LLC Increases Stock Holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 43.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 45,398 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,689 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in eBay were worth $2,812,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EBAY. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $105,506,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of eBay in the fourth quarter worth $96,214,000. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of eBay by 35.2% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,856,276 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $362,823,000 after buying an additional 1,524,691 shares during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of eBay by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,719,128 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $292,350,000 after buying an additional 677,389 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of eBay by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,460,879 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $152,451,000 after acquiring an additional 463,015 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wedbush began coverage on eBay in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna upped their target price on eBay from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays set a $72.00 price objective on shares of eBay and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price on shares of eBay in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two investment 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 an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.54.

eBay Stock Performance

NASDAQ EBAY opened at $66.54 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.77. The company has a market cap of $31.01 billion, a PE ratio of 16.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45. eBay Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.52 and a 1-year high of $71.61.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. eBay’s payout ratio is 29.07%.

Insider Transactions at eBay

In related news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $265,423.48. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,392 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,329,927.52. The trade was a 4.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.93, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,241 shares of company stock valued at $1,061,665 over the last 90 days. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.