Swedbank AB Cuts Stake in eBay Inc. $EBAY

Swedbank AB reduced its stake in eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,576,795 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock after selling 13,026 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in eBay were worth $137,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of eBay by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,613,332 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $5,018,121,000 after acquiring an additional 468,833 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of eBay by 27.8% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 8,309,698 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $755,767,000 after acquiring an additional 1,808,976 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of eBay by 2.8% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,263,191 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $478,687,000 after acquiring an additional 141,057 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in shares of eBay by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 3,134,733 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $273,035,000 after acquiring an additional 321,732 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of eBay by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 2,931,042 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock worth $255,294,000 after acquiring an additional 113,553 shares during the last quarter. 87.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key eBay News

Here are the key news stories impacting eBay this week:

• Positive Sentiment: GameStop raised its economic exposure to eBay through derivatives and filings, increasing speculation that Ryan Cohen may push for a takeover or activist campaign that could unlock value for EBAY shareholders. GameStop Raises Economic Exposure to eBay
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that GameStop is interested in buying eBay helped lift sentiment, as takeover speculation can boost a stock on expectations of a higher offer price or strategic restructuring. eBay (EBAY) Stock Is Up, What You Need To Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage are debating whether Ryan Cohen should be taken seriously as an eBay investor, adding attention but not yet confirming a formal deal or major operating change. Should Ryan Cohen be taken seriously as an eBay investor?
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted eBay’s recent surge to 52-week highs, suggesting the stock has already priced in some of the takeover-related optimism. Why did ARM, SLS, EBAY stocks surge to 52-week highs?
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary warned that a GameStop bid could damage its own credit rating and valuation, which may temper enthusiasm if the takeover thesis becomes less credible or more complicated. GameStop Wants to Buy eBay. It Could Collapse Its Credit Rating and Valuation in the Process.

eBay Trading Down 1.2%

eBay stock opened at $115.75 on Friday. eBay Inc. has a one year low of $71.53 and a one year high of $119.31. The business’s fifty day moving average is $100.54 and its 200 day moving average is $91.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.39.

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The e-commerce company reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.08. eBay had a return on equity of 46.11% and a net margin of 17.58%.The company had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.38 earnings per share. eBay’s revenue was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. eBay has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.090-1.140 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that eBay Inc. will post 4.83 EPS for the current year.

eBay Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. eBay’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.12%.

Insider Transactions at eBay

In other eBay news, SVP Mazen Rawashdeh sold 23,167 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.59, for a total value of $2,168,199.53. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 28,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,706,154.85. This represents a 44.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jordan Douglas Bradle Sweetnam sold 12,978 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.44, for a total value of $1,199,686.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,970,113.12. This represents a 23.21% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 86,953 shares of company stock worth $8,287,444 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citizens Jmp increased their target price on eBay from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $105.00) on shares of eBay in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on eBay from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on eBay from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on eBay from $120.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.90.

About eBay

eBay Inc is a global e-commerce company that operates an online marketplace connecting individual consumers and businesses for the sale and purchase of new, used and collectible goods. Founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar and headquartered in San Jose, California, eBay grew from its early auction-style site into a diversified platform offering both auction-format listings and fixed-price “Buy It Now” transactions. The company completed an initial public offering in the late 1990s and has since evolved its platform and services to support a broad range of product categories and buyer preferences.

The company’s core business centers on its marketplace platform, which provides listing, search and transaction capabilities for millions of items across consumer goods, electronics, fashion, collectibles and more.