B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Cuts Stake in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its holdings in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 60.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,139 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after selling 49,417 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in eBay were worth $1,991,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of eBay in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in eBay in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of eBay during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of eBay during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of eBay by 115.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 836 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

eBay Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EBAY opened at $67.42 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.03. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $48.52 and a one year high of $71.61. The firm has a market cap of $31.42 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 yield of 1.72%. eBay’s payout ratio is 29.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on EBAY shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 price target on shares of eBay in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of eBay from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of eBay from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of eBay from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of eBay from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Stephen J. Priest sold 1,033 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.93, for a total value of $67,072.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,225,644.40. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 3,958 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $265,423.48. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,392 shares in the company, valued at $6,329,927.52. This trade represents a 4.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,616 shares of company stock worth $710,777. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

eBay 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.