Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Short Interest Down 5.6% in March

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 41,560,000 shares, a decline of 5.6% from the March 15th total of 44,030,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 18,410,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

NYSE BABA opened at $68.82 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.05. The company has a market cap of $174.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.70 and a beta of 0.46. Alibaba Group has a 1 year low of $66.63 and a 1 year high of $102.50.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $19.12 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $260.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.26 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.65% and a net margin of 10.75%. Alibaba Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.44 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Alibaba Group will post 7.97 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on BABA shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $138.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Macquarie lowered shares of Alibaba Group from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $88.50 to $85.40 in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.91.

Institutional Trading of Alibaba Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BABA. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 184.6% in the 4th quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 116.7% in the 3rd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 325 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.