Founded in 1995, eBay operates one of the world's largest online marketplaces, connecting buyers and sellers across more than 190 markets.
It is a $49.9B technology company. Revenue grew 14.7% over the last year, it keeps 19¢ of every dollar of sales as profit, and its net debt equals ~2.0 years of free cash flow. It trades at 22.5× earnings — in the most expensive third of its own history.
- Website
- ebay.com
- Location
- San Jose, CA
- Employees
- 12 300
- Sector
- Technology
- Founded
- 1995
Skills
Six independent scores, 0–100, built from reported numbers and valuation history. Click a row to see how it was scored.
Strong profitability, quality and moat; Valuation, Growth and Health lag behind.
Valuation49
- P/E vs own history75th pct · 5/25
- FCF yield4.9% · 12/25
- P/S4.2x · 20/25
- EV/EBITDA21.9x · 12/25
Growth31
- Revenue CAGR1.6% · 6/25
- Net income CAGR-37.8% · 0/25
- EPS CAGR ~5Y-11.3% · 0/25
- Fwd implied growth34.6% · 25/25
Profitability85
- ROIC21.4% · 20/25
- ROE48.3% · 25/25
- Net margin18.5% · 20/25
- Operating margin20.5% · 20/25
Health49
- Altman Zn/a · 0/25
- Current ratio1.02 · 12/25
- Interest coverage58.0x · 25/25
- Net cash / debtD/A 28% · 12/25
Quality90
- Piotroski F6/9 · 15/25
- Beneish M-2.67 · 25/25
- FCF conversion109% · 25/25
- Margin stabilityσ 2.9% · 25/25
Moat75
- ROIC >12% years10/10 yrs · 25/25
- Median gross margin75.2% · 25/25
- FCF-positive years10/10 yrs · 25/25
- Worst-year net marginworst -13.0% · 0/25
Experience
The company's career so far — founding, the IPO, landmark products and acquisitions, plus revenue milestones and insider buying.
- 2022AcquisitionEBay acquired a stake in Funko and became the preferred secondary marketplace for Funko
- FY2021FinancialBest year on record$13.6B net income
- 2020ProductEBay also launched its Up & Running Grants program in 2020
- FY2018FinancialRevenue crossed $10B$10.7B for the year
- FY2016FinancialFirst recorded profitable year$7.27B net income
- FY2016FinancialRevenue already above $1B$8.98B in first reported year
- FY2016FinancialPositive free cash flow every year since10-year streak
- 2012ProductEBay launched an international shipping partnership with Pitney Bowes whereby a seller of an item…
- 2011AcquisitionMicrosoft acquired the entire company for $8.5 billion in May 2011
- 2005AcquisitionProStores , formerly known as Kurant StoreSense, was acquired and renamed by eBay Inc
- Oct 3, 2002AcquisitionEBay turned over its operations in Taiwan to a joint venture partner
- 1998IPODuring the dot-com bubble, eBay became a public company via an initial public offering led by CFO…
- 1998AcquisitionEBay acquired Jump, the developer and operator of Up4Sale, an advertising-supported auction website…
- 1996ProductThe company launched online auctions for airline seats, hotel rooms, cruise berths and other…
- Sep 3, 1995FoundedEBay was founded as AuctionWeb in California on September 3, 1995, by French-born Iranian-American computer…
Achievements
Verifiable track record, straight from the reported numbers.
Strengths & watch-outs
What a bull and a bear would each point to. Both lists come from the reported numbers, not opinions.
Strengths
- High gross margin (72.5%)
- Revenue growing 14.7% year over year
- Strong cash conversion — FCF is 20.2% of revenue
- Interest covered 58.0× by operating earnings
- High returns on invested capital (ROIC 21.4%)
Watch-outs
- Loss-making in 2 of the recent years
Qualifications
The basics a company should meet before you research it further. Each check uses the reported numbers.
- Revenue growing — the company sells more than a year ago+14.7% YoY
- Profitable — makes more than it spends$2.22B TTM
- Profit growing — earnings are higher than last year-11.3% YoY
- Generates cash — cash left after running and investing$2.43B TTM
- Debt under control — could handle its obligations~2.0y of cash flow to repay
- Established company — not a micro-cap — lower blow-up risk$49.9B market cap
- Not printing shares — share count not ballooning — you keep your slice-34.8% shares over ~5y
- Proven track record — years of profitability behind it8/10 profitable years
- Financially stable — balance sheet not near distresshealth score 37/100
- Pays a dividend — returns cash to shareholdersyield 1.08%
- Valuation not extreme — price not wildly above earningsP/E 22.5
Peer comparisoneBay Inc vs 6 largest technology peers — cap, P/E, growth and margin side by sideOpen ▾Close ▴
| Company | Market cap | P/E | Revenue growth | Net margin | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBAY this company | $49.9B | 22.5 | +14.7% | 18.5% | Mixed |
| NVDA Nvidia Corp | $5.5T | 28.6 | +83.4% | 63.7% | Mixed |
| AAPL Apple Inc. | $4.9T | 38.1 | +14.2% | 27.6% | Strong |
| GOOGL Alphabet Inc. | $4.3T | 17.6 | +20.1% | 54.8% | Mixed |
| MSFT Microsoft Corp | $4.0T | 29.7 | +17.8% | 40.3% | Strong |
| SPCX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | $2.1T | — | +33.2% | -34.0% | Strained |
| META Meta Platforms, Inc. | $1.8T | 26.9 | +27.7% | 29.8% | Mixed |
Head-to-head: EBAY vs NVDA · EBAY vs AAPL · EBAY vs GOOGL
References
What covering analysts publish about the company — information only, not a recommendation.
Appendix · Financial records
The full statements behind this CV, FY2016–FY2025. For readers who want to check the numbers.
Live data and quarterly detail: stockcv.com/EBAY
Want the live picture — intraday moves, valuation history and full analysis?
Deeper analysis of EBAY on PreMarketPriceFigures are derived from company filings (quarterly values normalised from as-filed year-to-date data where applicable) and may be delayed, restated or incomplete. This page is information, not investment advice. Latest price $112.19 · market cap $49.9B.