Dividend hike is a positive signal

Article Excerpt

EBAY INC. $48 is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol EBAY; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 542.7 million; Market cap: $26.0 billion; Price to-sales ratio: 2.8; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ebay.com) operates e-commerce websites, in over 190 countries, where sellers pay fees to auction items or offer them at fixed prices. Revenue in the fourth quarter of 2022 fell 3.9%, to $2.51 billion from $2.61 billion a year earlier. The decline is mainly because stores are re-opening as COVID-19 lockdowns end. The lower revenue also cut eBay’s overall earnings by 10.2%, to $581 million from $647 million. The company repurchased $300 million of its shares in the quarter, which is why earnings per share improved 1.9%, to $1.07 from $1.05. eBay is adding more specialty items, such as collectible sneakers, to its platform, which should help attract more users. The stock now trades at just 11.3 times the likely 2023 earnings of $4.25 share. With the March 2023, the…