Worldwide marketplace leader eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY), which serves millions of buyers and sellers each day, has released its quarterly and annual financial data for the period ending December 31, 2022.
The CEO of eBay, Jamie Iannone, said that the company had achieved “significant progress” on its “multi-year strategic journey” in 2022. “The investments we’ve made in our foundational technology are allowing us to innovate on behalf of our clients at a faster clip, and our focus category playbook is still the primary driver of our business’ underlying growth. Our talented team, clear strategic direction, and unwavering commitment to operational excellence will allow us to consistently deliver superior results for our shareholders over the long run.”
According to eBay’s CFO, Steve Priest, “our Q4 results show the continued resilience of our marketplace amid economic uncertainty.” Our teams have consistently met or exceeded quarterly financial goals, demonstrated prudent cost discipline, and carried out key tasks in support of our strategy, and for that I am extremely pleased.
On an ongoing operations basis, the company generated $2.5 billion in revenue and $18.2 billion in gross merchandise volume. On a per-diluted share basis, the company generated EPS per diluted share of $1.23 and $1.07, respectively.
eBay Repurchased $300 million worth of shares and distributed $119 million in cash dividends to stockholders, totaling over $419 million in the fourth quarter.
The Board of Directors increased the quarterly payout by 14% to $0.25 per share from the previous quarter.
Global Impact
Used and reconditioned items sold on eBay boosted the economy by $4.6 billion in 2022. As a result of these efforts, 1.6 million metric tons of carbon emissions were not released into the atmosphere, and 73,000 metric tons of trash were diverted from dumps.
Ebay has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North American Indices and the CDP A List for 2022 in honor of the company’s commitment to sustainability. On the other hand, Cross-Border Trade Europe named eBay the best sustainable marketplace in Europe.
As the quarter came to a close, eBay released its first Small Business Report, which delves into the motivations behind people starting companies on the platform, as well as the ways in which eBay has helped those businesses expand locally, nationally, and internationally.
The U.S. Women-Owned Small Online Business Export Report was published by eBay, and it details the ways in which women business owners on the platform are establishing sustainable businesses through expansion into international markets.
Using a combination of e-learning resources, online seminars, workshops, and the eBay Talks podcast, the eBay Academy for Japan aims to educate Japanese sellers of all experience levels on making the most of eBay’s features.
Nearly $23 million was donated by the eBay Foundation in 2022, most of it to groups working to promote inclusive business through non-profits and the company’s employee matching gifts program.
Over $163 million will be donated by eBay for Charity in 2022. Over $35 million will be donated worldwide during the quarter.
Etsy is currently trading at $133.50 and eBay is trading currently at $45. If you compare both companies eBay can easily reach over $100 a share by end of 2023 which makes it a better investment and buy opportunity for the savvy investor.
In the current consumer environment, eBay will be an outperformer. eBay will maintain a strong position regardless of where the economy is headed, making eBay a Strong Buy.
