Korea Investment CORP Has $26.78 Million Stock Position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Korea Investment CORP raised its position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 25.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 432,319 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after purchasing an additional 87,970 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in eBay were worth $26,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in eBay by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,488 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of eBay by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,417 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of eBay by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,226 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. raised its holdings in shares of eBay by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 34,651 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $2,147,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on EBAY shares. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of eBay in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $60.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Benchmark increased their price objective on eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, eBay presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.93, for a total transaction of $67,072.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,225,644.40. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.38, for a total value of $350,887.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 542,248 shares in the company, valued at $33,825,430.24. This trade represents a 1.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 16,241 shares of company stock worth $1,061,665. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

eBay Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ EBAY opened at $67.16 on Friday. eBay Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.52 and a 52 week high of $71.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $67.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.87, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45.

eBay Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date was 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%.

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.