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

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Traders purchased 17,877 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 49% compared to the average volume of 11,979 call options.

eBay Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EBAY opened at $68.19 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.13, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. eBay has a fifty-two week low of $48.52 and a fifty-two week high of $71.61. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $66.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.28.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. eBay’s payout ratio is presently 29.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on EBAY shares. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating on shares of eBay in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark boosted their target price on eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group upped their price target on eBay from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of eBay in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at eBay

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 5,252 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.63, for a total transaction of $334,184.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,141,040.40. The trade was a 7.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,989 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were 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 owns 71,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,659,778.80. The trade was a 5.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,524 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,509 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On eBay

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Graypoint LLC purchased a new stake in eBay during the third quarter worth about $271,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of eBay by 1.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 594,161 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $38,686,000 after purchasing an additional 9,990 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in eBay by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,247 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $732,000 after buying an additional 1,065 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in eBay by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 18,311 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $1,192,000 after buying an additional 1,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atria Investments Inc boosted its position in eBay by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 73,188 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $4,765,000 after buying an additional 1,066 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

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.