Short Interest in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) Expands By 20.4%

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 30,630,000 shares, an increase of 20.4% from the August 15th total of 25,450,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,450,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.9 days. Approximately 6.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

eBay Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ EBAY traded up $0.26 on Friday, reaching $63.44. 5,556,646 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,532,868. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.54. eBay has a 12 month low of $37.17 and a 12 month high of $63.90. The company has a market cap of $31.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The e-commerce company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88. The company had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. eBay had a net margin of 26.41% and a return on equity of 29.69%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that eBay will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

eBay Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on EBAY. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of eBay in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on eBay from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Susquehanna lifted their price target on eBay from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Daiwa America raised eBay to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of eBay from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, eBay currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Edward O. Garcia sold 986 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.85, for a total value of $52,110.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 37,126 shares in the company, valued at $1,962,109.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On eBay

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of eBay by 7.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 62,929,188 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $3,321,403,000 after purchasing an additional 4,524,934 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in eBay by 17.6% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 25,964,196 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $1,394,797,000 after buying an additional 3,880,649 shares during the last quarter. Mirova US LLC lifted its stake in eBay by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 9,170,829 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $492,657,000 after acquiring an additional 189,505 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of eBay by 12.5% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,536,843 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $404,879,000 after acquiring an additional 838,969 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of eBay by 8.6% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,723,503 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $361,159,000 after acquiring an additional 530,941 shares during the period. 87.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.