EBAY INC (EBAY) — payout ratio, three ways
Fiscal year ending 2025-12-31 · sector not classified · computed from SEC filings, not taken from a data vendor.
This company is not classified. The SEC files it under SIC 7389, a catch-all that covers businesses with little in common. No sector-specific rule is applied, so the general basis for an operating company — free cash flow — is used. Read the comparison below rather than the single marked figure.
| Basis | Payout | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|
| GAAP earnings | 26.1% | The figure most screeners publish. |
| Operating cash flow | 27.1% | Worse than the earnings figure, not better: operating cash flow absorbs working capital — inventory, receivables, payables — that earnings do not. |
| Free cash flow | 37.0% | What is left after maintaining the business. |
Spread between highest and lowest: 11 percentage points. Same filings, different denominators.
The arithmetic
- GAAP earnings — dividends declared per share $1.13 ÷ diluted EPS $4.34
- Operating cash flow — dividends paid $531.0m ÷ operating cash flow $1,959.0m
- Free cash flow — dividends paid $531.0m ÷ (operating cash flow $1,959.0m − capex $525.0m)
Where the figures came from
- 10-K filed 2026-02-19 · accession
0001065088-26-000027
Every one is public at sec.gov and free to check. That is the point — you should not have to take my word for any of it.
Caveats on this company
- DPS derived from dividends paid ($1.13); no per-share tag filed
Computed by an open pipeline reading SEC XBRL directly. If any number here looks wrong to you, tell me — that is more useful to me than agreement.