One of these activist targets is a buy

Article Excerpt

We pay attention to activist investors because they look for the same thing we do—hidden assets that a company can either spin off or sell. eBay, below, is a great example. Still, not every stock that activists target—GameStop is a prime example—is worth buying. EBAY INC. $48 is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol EBAY; Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 796.1 million; Market cap: $38.2 billion; Dividend yield: 1.3%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.ebay.com) operates e-commerce websites where sellers pay fees to auction items or offer them at fixed prices. It also operates classified ad websites, including Kijiji in Canada. All together, eBay sells classified ads in over 1,500 cities. Due to pressure from activist investors Starboard Value and Elliott Management, eBay recently sold its StubHub business to European ticket seller Viagogo Entertainment Inc. for $4.1 billion (or $3.2 billion after taxes). StubHub lets users buy and sell tickets to live entertainment events, such as sports and concerts. eBay is now looking at strategic options for its classified…