Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Raises Holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its stake in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 117,857 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after buying an additional 429 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in eBay were worth $7,301,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of eBay during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in eBay during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in eBay during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in eBay by 115.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 836 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its position in eBay by 37.8% during the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 839 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on EBAY. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of eBay in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on eBay from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark raised 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of eBay from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of eBay from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, eBay presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.54.

Insider Activity

In other eBay news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,989 shares of eBay stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 71,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,659,778.80. The trade was a 5.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.93, for a total value of $67,072.69. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,080 shares in the company, valued at $4,225,644.40. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,524 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,509 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

eBay Price Performance

NASDAQ EBAY opened at $65.22 on Wednesday. eBay Inc. has a one year low of $48.52 and a one year high of $71.61. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $66.79 and a 200 day moving average of $64.32. 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 company has a market capitalization of $30.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45.

eBay Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. 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.