eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) shares slipped in Tuesday premarket trading after the company rejected GameStop Corp.’s (NYSE:GME) unsolicited $55.5 billion takeover proposal, citing financing uncertainty, valuation concerns, and execution risks.
eBay’s board said the $125-per-share cash-and-stock offer was “neither credible nor attractive” following a review with its financial and legal advisors.
Chairman Paul S. Pressler said the board considered eBay’s standalone growth prospects, uncertainty around GameStop’s financing plan, leverage and operational risks, valuation implications, and GameStop’s governance structure.
GameStop unveiled the bid on May 3, offering a transaction split evenly between cash and stock.
The company said it had accumulated a 5% economic interest in eBay and secured a TD Securities “highly confident” financing letter for up to $20 billion, supplementing its roughly $9.4 billion in cash and liquid investments.
Investors and analysts questioned the deal’s feasibility given GameStop’s smaller market capitalization and the lack of fully committed financing.
Steve Eisman said eBay would “of course” reject the offer, while Michael Burry reportedly warned that the debt is the problem.
GameStop said the combination could deliver $2 billion in annualized cost savings within a year and raise eBay’s diluted GAAP earnings per share from $4.26 to $7.79.
Ryan Cohen, who would become CEO of the combined company if the deal closes, said: “eBay should be worth–and will be worth–a lot more money. I’m thinking about turning eBay into something worth hundreds of billions of dollars.”
The stock remains up 56.35% over the past 12 months, reflecting strong longer-term momentum. At $108, eBay trades above both its 20-day SMA of $104.17 and 200-day SMA of $91.05.
The moving averages remain aligned in a bullish pattern, with the 20-day SMA above the 50-day SMA and the 50-day SMA above the 200-day SMA.
That setup typically signals investors continue buying pullbacks, supporting the broader uptrend over time. Momentum indicators remain constructive, with the MACD above its signal line and the histogram positive.
The stock carries a Hold rating with an average price forecast of $108.56. Recent analyst moves include:
Price Action: eBay shares were down 0.90% at $107.16, and GameStop shares were down 4.19% at $22.20 during premarket trading on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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