Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Trims Stock Position in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 193,051 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after selling 2,694 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in eBay were worth $11,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EBAY. Bailard Inc. grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of eBay by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 5,979 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $371,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Maia Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of eBay by 38.9% in the 4th quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 4,824 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,351 shares during the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of eBay by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,619 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Williamson Legacy Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of eBay by 21.5% during the 4th quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC now owns 18,382 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $1,139,000 after buying an additional 3,255 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

eBay Trading Up 2.0 %

NASDAQ EBAY opened at $64.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. eBay Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.04 and a 12 month high of $71.61. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $66.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.78.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. This is an increase from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. eBay’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,989 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total transaction of $260,082.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 71,469 shares in the company, valued at $4,659,778.80. This trade represents a 5.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jamie Iannone sold 5,625 shares of eBay stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.25, for a total transaction of $378,281.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 530,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,709,615.50. This represents a 1.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 27,149 shares of company stock worth $1,746,065. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of eBay in a report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark lifted their price objective on eBay from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on eBay from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of eBay from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, eBay has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.33.

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.