Stephens Consulting LLC Grows Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 79.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,059 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,801 shares during the quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.7% in the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,756 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 6,727 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $584,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 4.6% during the third quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,170 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 32.9% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 573 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its stake in Alibaba Group by 45.4% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 458 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

NYSE:BABA traded up $1.61 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $70.68. 14,890,328 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,157,000. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $179.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.04 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $73.14 and a 200 day moving average of $75.76. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a twelve month low of $66.63 and a twelve month high of $102.50.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $18.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $19.12 by ($0.15). Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The company had revenue of $260.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.44 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Alibaba Group from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $138.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Alibaba Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $112.91.

Alibaba Group 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.