eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) Sees Large Volume Increase on Strong Earnings

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. Approximately 5,374,127 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 8% from the previous session’s volume of 4,959,482 shares.The stock last traded at $86.0150 and had previously closed at $82.18.

The e-commerce company reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.87 billion. eBay had a return on equity of 41.94% and a net margin of 20.37%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. eBay has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.530-1.590 EPS.

eBay Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from eBay’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. eBay’s payout ratio is currently 25.22%.

eBay News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting eBay this week:

• Positive Sentiment: eBay agreed to acquire Depop from Etsy for ~$1.2B in cash — expands eBay’s presence with Gen‑Z and the recommerce/fashion segment, providing a strategic growth lever that helped lift sentiment. eBay to Acquire Depop from Etsy
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and upbeat Q1 outlook — eBay reported Q4 non‑GAAP EPS of $1.41 (ahead) and issued Q1 2026 guidance above Street estimates, supporting expectations for continued momentum. eBay Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns increased — board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.31 (up ~7%) and authorized an incremental $2.0B for buybacks, a clear positive for EPS support and capital allocation. Q4 Results & Dividend/Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street reaction: multiple firms raised targets or upgraded coverage (Needham to $122 buy; Baird to $105 outperform; Goldman Sachs moved to neutral from sell), amplifying buy‑side interest. Baird adjusts eBay price target to $105 Goldman Sachs upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market context — broader futures weakness amid geopolitical tensions and Fed debate could pressure stocks generally even as eBay‑specific news is positive. Stock Market Today: Futures Fall Amid Tensions
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious (multiple Holds/Neutrals and differing price targets), reflecting debate over how much of 2025’s upside is already priced in and tougher comps ahead. Analyst: Strong 2025 Performance Priced In
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity — large spike in put purchases (tens of thousands of contracts) suggests some traders are hedging or betting on a pullback, which can add short‑term downward pressure. Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Put Options on eBay
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling and mixed institutional flows flagged by data providers — while not proof of near‑term problems, continued selling by insiders can concern some investors. QuiverQuant: eBay shares jump analysis (insider notes)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on EBAY shares. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of eBay from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on eBay from $96.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays set a $104.00 price objective on eBay in a research report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of eBay in a research report on Thursday. Finally, President Capital dropped their price target on shares of eBay from $103.00 to $94.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $96.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at eBay

In other eBay news, SVP Cornelius Boone sold 4,462 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.94, for a total value of $374,540.28. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 91,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,715,848.74. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jordan Douglas Bradle Sweetnam sold 33,441 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.99, for a total transaction of $3,076,237.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,733 shares in the company, valued at $435,388.67. This trade represents a 87.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 43,584 shares of company stock worth $3,918,282. Company insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On eBay

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EBAY. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in eBay by 75.2% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 254,624 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $22,178,000 after buying an additional 109,312 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of eBay by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 97,757 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $8,515,000 after acquiring an additional 40,872 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of eBay by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 13,819 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,955 shares during the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its holdings in shares of eBay by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 198,492 shares of the e-commerce company’s stock valued at $18,106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,615 shares during the period. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in eBay during the fourth quarter worth about $1,565,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.48% of the company’s stock.

eBay Stock Up 4.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $38.83 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $88.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.36.

eBay Company Profile

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.