Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Trading Down 0.2%

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)’s stock price traded down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $70.58 and last traded at $71.33. 4,946,465 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 19,122,896 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.48.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 19th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Benchmark reduced their price objective on Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $128.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Barclays cut their price target on Alibaba Group from $138.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.44.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 1.1 %

The company’s fifty day moving average is $73.45 and its 200-day moving average is $77.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.80. The company has a market capitalization of $183.64 billion, a PE ratio of 13.35 and a beta of 0.47.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). Alibaba Group had a return on equity of 12.65% and a net margin of 10.75%. The firm had revenue of $260.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $260.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.44 earnings per share. Alibaba Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 7.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 18,224,982 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,412,618,000 after acquiring an additional 881,710 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 17,194,570 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,332,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103,100 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,848,257 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,228,398,000 after purchasing an additional 819,019 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Alibaba Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,815,514 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,128,919,000 after purchasing an additional 142,563 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd grew its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 10,630,701 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $823,986,000 after acquiring an additional 983,842 shares in the last quarter. 13.47% of the stock is currently 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.