Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Down 0.5% – Time to Sell?

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s stock price was down 0.5% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $84.42 and last traded at $84.60. Approximately 3,216,317 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 17,348,654 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Alibaba Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $92.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 price objective on shares of Alibaba Group in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Macquarie raised Alibaba Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $92.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.50.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $13.19. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The business had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alibaba Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Primecap Management Co. CA raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 5.2% during the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 21,870,987 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,574,711,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074,175 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 18,460,434 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,959,021,000 after acquiring an additional 60,667 shares during the period. Hhlr Advisors LTD. grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 64.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 8,827,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $936,785,000 after purchasing an additional 3,448,152 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Alibaba Group by 1,392.6% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 6,125,542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $650,043,000 after buying an additional 5,715,155 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 3,180.1% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,857,760 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $409,385,000 after buying an additional 3,740,150 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Alibaba Group

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.