Natixis Advisors L.P. Sells 108,415 Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Natixis Advisors L.P. reduced its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 17.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 519,539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 108,415 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $40,269,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LGT Group Foundation lifted its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 15,203 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,174,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Summit Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $203,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in Alibaba Group by 288.4% in the fourth quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 32,156 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,493,000 after acquiring an additional 23,876 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Alibaba Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $325,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Alibaba Group by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,068,000 after buying an additional 1,899 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE BABA traded up $1.00 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $81.33. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 19,355,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,275,838. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.25. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a 52 week low of $66.63 and a 52 week high of $102.50. The stock has a market cap of $206.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.00 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.80.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Barclays lowered their price target on Alibaba Group from $138.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Macquarie lowered Alibaba Group from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $88.50 to $85.40 in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on Alibaba Group from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $112.91.

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.