Sanders Capital LLC Cuts Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Sanders Capital LLC trimmed its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 51.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,897,277 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 9,563,157 shares during the period. Alibaba Group makes up approximately 1.1% of Sanders Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Sanders Capital LLC owned approximately 0.37% of Alibaba Group worth $754,400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in Alibaba Group by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. TBH Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 2,709 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TRUE Private Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 3,239 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on Alibaba Group from $130.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Bank of America increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $117.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $180.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $150.36.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of BABA stock opened at $107.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $256.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.59, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $126.59 and its 200 day moving average is $104.64. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 1-year low of $68.36 and a 1-year high of $148.43.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.84 by ($0.07). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. The firm had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.19 billion. Research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alibaba Group Company Profile

Alibaba Group Holding Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands, retailers, and other businesses to engage with their users and customers in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company operates through seven segments: China Commerce, International Commerce, Local Consumer Services, Cainiao, Cloud, Digital Media and Entertainment, and Innovation Initiatives and Others.