How Long Will EBAY Stock Survive After PayPal Spinoff?

A lot of questions remain unanswered about a post-PayPal eBay

Sometime in the third quarter, eBay (EBAY) will spin off PayPal, returning its payment division to a standalone company.

Originally, eBay acquired PayPal in 2002 for $1.4 billion, and after 15 years together the auction giant has succumbed to pressure from activist investors claiming the two businesses will be more valuable as separate entities.

Last month, PayPal announced its intention to resume use of its original ticker symbol PYPL on the Nasdaq exchange.

Most analysts have high hopes for PayPal stock, but the consensus for EBAY stock has been mixed. Of the 44 analysts providing recommendations to MarketWatch.com, 16 declare eBay a “buy” and 22 call it a “hold.”

3 Stocks to Buy to Play the Internet of Things

These 3 stocks are perfectly positioned for massive IoT growth

Renowned research firm IDC released a report this week predicting that the Internet of Things market will reach $1.7 trillion by the year 2020, growing from $656 billion last year.

IoT endpoints — the various personal and household devices and hardware connected to the Internet — are expected to reach nearly 30 million in the next five years, up from 10 million in 2014.

With that kind of massive growth on the horizon, investors have been looking for the best ways to play the Internet of Things boom. There’s a plethora of stocks to buy that could produce good gains over the next several years, and many of the tech industry’s established leaders seem like obvious choices.

For example, last August, hardware and software giant Cisco (CSCO) announced it had created a division within the company called the Internet of Things Systems & Software group, whose focus would be on expanding machine-to-machine connectivity. Another similar example is Intel (INTC), which announced last December the creation of a proprietary new platform designed to streamline the process of connecting devices to the Internet and enhance the security of those connections.

However, with CSCO valued at $145 billion and INTC at $153, neither company is likely to see its stock soar on Internet of Things developments. Sure, they make safe plays for risk-adverse investors. These companies are gigantic, have multiple revenue streams, and aren’t likely to collapse if their IoT efforts don’t dominate the market. But they’re not the best ways to play the trend.

If you’ve got a longer time horizon and aren’t scared of a little volatility, read on to learn about three stocks to buy the play the Internet of Things.

Google Now on Tap Won’t Help GOOG Stock

Google Now on Tap could be helpful, but it's not necessary

In the seemingly never-ending battle for smartphone supremacy, tech giants such as Google (GOOGL, GOOG), Apple (AAPL), and Samsung (SSNLF) have been racing to develop an attractive, affordable device that can successfully handle every need and deliver on any request from the user.

For the most part, today’s smartphones are immensely powerful and comprehensive — you have more computing power in your hand right now than all of NASA combined when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon.

All things considered, modern smartphones can perform an impressive array of tasks, and the demands for “better” devices are more related to convenience than functionality.

But convenience goes a long way with consumers in our instant-gratification society, and GOOG is looking to take the lead in the convenience department with the introduction of Google Now on Tap, an enhancement to the current voice-controlled native Android assistant.

Enhance Your Investing Reality With GoPro’s Virtual Reality

Catering to the thrill-seeking sports enthusiasts, the GoPro drone has unlimited potential

Undisputed king of the personal video camera market, GoPro Inc (NASDAQ:GPRO) CEO Nick Woodman announced at this week’s Code Conference that GPRO will be expanding with two exciting new projects: drone cameras and virtual reality.

Woodman remained tight-lipped about the GoPro drone specifics, except to say that the quadcopter is expected to be available in the first half of next year and is being designed for consumers, not businesses.

Additionally, GPRO is apparently working with existing quadcopter manufacturers to develop a type of universal rig that could accommodate existing GoPro cameras, which could then be mounted on any number of drones.

Office for Android Won’t Save MSFT

Office for Android won't convince users to pay for Office 365 subscriptions

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was, at one time, the most dominant technology company on the planet. With the release of Windows 1.0 in 1985, which was the first time users were able to interact with their computers using a mouse and visual representations of files and folders, MSFT exploded as its new “Windows” operating system took the world by storm.

The rest is history. In just a few short years, the vast majority of the world’s desktop computers were running Windows, and competing operating systems were so far behind that they weren’t even visible on the radar.

The first version of Microsoft Office — namely Word, Excel and PowerPoint bundled together — debuted at the end of 1990, and it, too, quickly became the de facto standard.

Apple Watch Estimates Differ Wildly, But AAPL Doesn’t Care

The iPhone remains the dominant profit-maker for AAPL stock

On Wednesday, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) analyst Katy Huberty bumped up her estimates for Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) sales of the iPhone and Apple Watch. Huberty’s new estimate for iPhone sales is 50 million units in AAPL’s fiscal third quarter, up from 46 million; her estimate for Apple Watch sales is 36 million units for the year, up from 30 million.

Interestingly, Huberty described her increased estimates as conservative. She referenced data from Morgan Stanley’s smartphone tracker, which apparently indicates consumer demand for iPhones in excess of 53 million units.

Similarly, she referenced a series of Apple Watch surveys conducted in December, March and May, which seem to suggest demand for the Apple Watch is up more than 60%.

Huberty also explained that she believes her 36-million-unit Apple Watch estimate is less than consumer demand, which she pegs at 50 million units; supply and production limitations will be the only reason AAPL doesn’t hit the 50-million-unit mark.

BABA and WMT – A Perfect Marriage In the Making?

A partnership between BABA and WMT could change the world's retail landscape, both online and off

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) has struggled for traction on the New York Stock Exchange as BABA stock is down more than 5% since Alibaba’s historic initial public offering last September.

On opening day, BABA jumped 38% to close at $93.89 and continued rocketing upward for almost a full two months. BABA stock reached a high of almost $120 per share in November 2014 but has since plummeted more than 22% to about $88 per share.

On May 7, shortly after BABA stock dipped below $80 for the first time, management announced plans to replace Alibaba’s CEO, Jonathan Lu. Alibaba’s COO, Daniel Zhang, took the reigns on May 10, along with “a further management shuffle that brings in a wave of younger leaders.”

Zhang laid out his plans for the future of BABA, describing the need to globalize by investing in overseas operations and expanding Alibaba’s workforce to include talent from all over the world.