EBay Soars on Report GameStop Is Preparing Takeover Bid (1)

EBay Inc. jumped more than 15% in after-hours trading on Friday after the Wall Street Journal reported that video-game retailer GameStop Corp. is preparing a bid for the company.

GameStop, led by e-commerce entrepreneur Ryan Cohen, has been building a position in the online auctioneer and may make an offer for the business this month, the newspaper reported, citing unidentified sources. If eBay isn’t receptive to the deal, Cohen may take his proposal directly to shareholders.

Spokespeople for eBay and GameStop didn’t respond to requests for comment. Shares in GameStop also rose.

GameStop had a market value of $11.8 ...