$EBAY

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen's eBay account was suspended after he listed personal items for sale to fund his $56 billion takeover bid. Cohen criticized eBay's workforce size and spending, while eBay's board is reviewing the offer. EBAY stock is up 24% year-to-date, GME up 25%.

Analysts upgraded Etsy (ETSY) to Buy with a $105 target, citing improved growth. Analog Devices (ADI) was upgraded by Seaport and Bernstein, with targets of $425 and $465, respectively, due to AI opportunities. Merck (MRK) was upgraded by Morgan Stanley to Overweight with a $179 target, but downgraded by RBC to Sector Perform with a $150 target. Progressive (PGR) was upgraded to Outperform with a $250 target, while Allstate (ALL) was downgraded to Underperform with a $250 target. TJX (TJX) was d

Rosenblatt Securities initiated coverage of Etsy, eBay, and Chewy. Etsy (ETSY) received a Buy rating with a $95 target, citing improving sales and margins. eBay (EBAY) also got a Buy rating with a $120 target, highlighting GMV growth and AI-driven tools. Chewy (CHWY) was rated Neutral with a $25 target, noting strong execution but limited upside.

Wall Street analysts issued upgrades, downgrades, and initiations for several companies. Upgrades include Analog Devices (ADI) to Outperform at Bernstein, Etsy (ETSY) to Buy at Bank of America, and Merck & Co (MRK) to Overweight at Morgan Stanley. Downgrades include Allstate (ALL) to Underperform at Keefe Bruyette and TJX Companies (TJX) to Neutral at Citigroup. Initiations include Alphabet (GOOGL) and Shopify (SHOP) with Buy ratings at Rosenblatt.

eBay (EBAY) appointed Renee Paradise as its global general manager of fashion. The company did not provide additional financial details or strategic implications of this appointment. According to the article, this news may impact investment narratives for eBay.

Goldman Sachs says enterprise AI productivity gains have not yet shown up broadly, as spending is still focused on infrastructure. In a research note, strategist Ben Snider proposes a framework using labor exposure to AI automation to flag Russell 1000 beneficiaries. The list includes CoStar Group, Dollar Tree, and eBay, with software, services, finance and biotech highlighted.

eBay UK will update Simple Delivery home-delivery rates from Sept 1, using five value bands (£0-£75, £75-£100, £100-£150, £150-£375, £375-£750) and parcel size/weight and enabled couriers. It is also offering free Click & Collect for eligible fashion items priced £20 or less (Sept 1-Oct 31). eBay cites managed shipping growth and plans to expand shipping initiatives.

Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported GameStop is considering withdrawing its earlier cash-and-stock bid to acquire eBay, valued at about $56 billion. GameStop may instead propose a partnership or joint venture using its roughly 1,600 US retail locations. GameStop shares are down about 5% YTD, while eBay is up about 25%.

After its Q2 earnings, Goldman Sachs updated an “AI Productivity Beneficiaries” basket by screening Russell 1000 firms for high labor costs versus sales and wage-bill exposure to AI automation. CoStar Group (CSGP) led, with 37% wage-bill exposure and labor costs at 31% of sales. Dollar Tree (DLTR) and eBay (EBAY) followed; Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG) and Brown & Brown (BRO) also ranked.

Goldman Sachs says investors have focused on AI infrastructure more than AI productivity beneficiaries. It reports Q2 S&P 500 EPS growth of 31% YoY, with infrastructure about half. Only 11% of S&P 500 firms quantified AI productivity impacts. Goldman estimates AI inference is <0.5% of S&P 500 revenues and has screened 20 stocks, including EBAY and CS GP.