Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) Shares Sold by Martin Currie Ltd.

Martin Currie Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,589,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 67,241 shares during the quarter. Alibaba Group comprises approximately 5.0% of Martin Currie Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Martin Currie Ltd. owned about 0.07% of Alibaba Group worth $134,732,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alibaba Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $60,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alibaba Group Price Performance

Alibaba Group stock opened at $132.49 on Friday. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52 week low of $68.36 and a 52 week high of $148.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $314.80 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.28. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $38.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.19 billion. Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 12.29%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on BABA. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Alibaba Group from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com cut shares of Alibaba Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Alibaba Group from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $125.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $148.14.

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.