Knuff & Co LLC Sells 1,330 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Knuff & Co LLC trimmed its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 46,164 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,330 shares during the period. Alibaba Group makes up about 1.2% of Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $3,914,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 52,563 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,578,000 after acquiring an additional 3,046 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Alibaba Group by 225.4% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth about $230,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Alibaba Group by 153.2% during the third quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 2,848 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 1,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 10.6% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 3,071 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. 13.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Benchmark upped their price target on Alibaba Group from $118.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Arete Research raised Alibaba Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $144.07.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Shares of BABA opened at $139.21 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.63. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a fifty-two week low of $68.36 and a fifty-two week high of $145.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market cap of $330.76 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28.

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

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.